Evangelion: Evolved
by Sarkonis
Summary: New Characters and Developments, Romance, Excitement, Action, Humor. Rated M for language, Situations and buffoonery. Background and Third Chapter up.
1. Opening and Background

A/N: This is my first Fanfic... EVER and even in writing the first few lines of this word has had about 10 new words added to it. Anyway I really hope this is worth it. I have been wanting to do this for ages but being in New York for a few months is somewhat of a downer.

WARNING: Contains Strong Language, Violence, Sexual References, Sexual Situations (not quite lemon), and downright buffoonery.

Evangelion: Evolved

A.K.A - Evangelion: Everyone plus more

A.K.A 2 - Evangelion: Gendo isn't a smimy knob

A.K.A 3 - Evangelion: How I want it to be.

-Forward (Read this):

"Double quotes mean speech".  
><strong>Bold is for inner world and Angels.<br>**_Italics are for thought.  
>'<em>single quotes are for emphasis'.

To straighten a few things out so a) people don't get confused and b) so people may see why I wanted to do this.

Ok let's start from the top.

I have always loved Evangelion, but I always found myself imagining scenarios where people were perhaps a bit different, perhaps adding a character or changing some around.

So I decided to do that here, I'll get into the specifics later but for now the basics are this:

This is following the events of the series NOT the rebuilds. However I have added 3 characters and their respective units. These characters don't appear right away so just hang in there and I hope you will like them. One of them you will know already but she is different (Thank flying Christ). Gendo is not a smimy knob in this one, he is changed, how?... you will find out.

Aside from that, there isn't much 'story' change in the works, the events follow the series pretty much. But I really wanted to do this so I could try and emulate how these changes will affect the characters, and how the events, while not having so much of an effect, are changed by these facts.

Now just to give some light to the new characters:

Mari "Illustrious" Makinami (yes her, from the rebuilds. But less of an annoying drop kick). :- She is from NERV London and the Pilot of Unit 04. Age 15.

Cameron "Human Beast" Jackson :- American Pilot of Unit 05. Also a properly trained soldier. Holds the rank of Commander. Age 16.

Nicholas "What she said" Ramsey :- Terran Pilot of the Aeon Unit (more on this later). Holds the rank of Major. Age 15.

* * *

><p>Back-story:<p>

Second Impact was by far the best proof that science and deistical entities do not mix. With around half of the world's population swallowed in to a sea of blood like LCL, the surviving population of the planet Earth was trying its best to rebuild.

Many moved to the countries that had the largest surviving population. Mostly being America and a large amount of the countries in the Asia Pacific. Including Japan and China. This caused some of the smaller states and countries to be vacated almost entirely allowing individuals and 'Organisations' a bit more freedom than one would deem necessary.

By 2003 Civilisation was about back to normal. However the geography of the Earth now baring the scars of Second Impact was far from that. No much had happened. Alot of people had migrated to Australia that due to the large influx of people decided to drop its name and adopt the name Clementia Terra Domus. Or 'Humanities Earth Home', though most people called it Terra for short.

The migration to Terra was caused by half the continent being somewhat unaffected by Second Impact. There were many theories published about why this was the case. As Second Impact was so close to the country. It however remains a secret.

Governments went under a mass change in order to deal not just with a sudden lack of population, but also a sudden lack of recourses. America and Japan were the least changed. The US maintained its 'Diplomatic hierarchies' mainly so people wouldn't panic, but also because it was the government people were most used to. Japan had its military embargo from the Second World War lifted and the JSSDF was formed to create a modern military force. England returned its leadership to its King and the ministerial Government was disbanded. Germany changed to be much like the US. But instead of having a single Commander and Chief, opted for a group of people to run the country. Terra (Australia), Separated into three divisions. 'Federal' that took care of international affairs and was the division the other two answer to. 'Military' the military and all its assets fall under here, it is given an order and carries it out to its own accorded, but is held responsible. 'Civil Council' this division looks after the affairs of the general population.

In 2004 an organisation called 'NERV' was formed from an old pre-impact organisation called 'Gehrin'. People were frightened of a new organisation with seeming infinite resources at its disposal. With headquarters located in every major country bar Terra. It was going to continue the Genetic experiments of Gehrin but with a different objective in mind.

2010 saw America, England and Germany entered into a standoff with China over resources and country borders. While full on conflict was deemed as unlikely small border skirmishes were fought almost on a daily basis. China claimed it had rights to what used to be India and Eastern Russia. While the UN forces had no issue with this, it was the constant pushing on the borders they now held that was causing grave concern. And fighting was not uncommon at these locations. And the consistent conflict was giving people fear of another arms race. Would humanity ever learn? NERV was also well along into its major project. The development of the Evangelion. With both Units 00 and 01 entering an active testing phase.

2014 brought relative calm. Fighting was coming to a standstill as no one was gaining ground the resource cost was exponential. Diplomacy was taking over and the world settled down. China in a show of good faith even withdrew 70% of its military into standby, the display was reciprocated by the UN forces. All was quiet.

NERV activated its first Evangelion on the eve of 2014. The test ended in disaster. The pilot was injured and the unit was frozen.


	2. Charpter 1: So it Begins

I do not own Evangelion, though if I did Mari would have died in the rebuild... be missing her parachute landing and hitting the side of the building.

WARNING (for the whole series): Contains Strong Language, Violence, Sexual References, Sexual Situations (not quite lemon), and downright buffoonery.

Chapter 1: So it Begins

2015... Today.

The city of Tokyo-3 was deathly quiet. The wind and Cicadas were all that disturbed the Hellish silenced that now adorned the city.

Red waves crashed onto the shore, and the green hillsides sat in contrast to the crystal blue skies. The single white whiff of cloud in the sky was being reflected off the windows of the buildings in the city. It was a ghost town, paper and small rubbish blew around as the wind swept between the buildings.

Cars had been left on the road, the signs that people had just dropped what they were doing were everywhere. Bicycles lay, wheels spinning slowly in the wind, making light squeaking noises.

However the silence was disturbed by the sounds of a car's engine being over revved, the sounds of squealing tires as the rubber slide over the tarmac.

.Beep. "This service is currently unavailable due to the current state of emergency." said a pleasant female voice on the other end of the phones earpiece.

The young azure eyed, brown haired boy looked into the earpiece of the phone. "Guess it won't work either. My mobile has no signal."

The boy pulled a photo of the woman that was supposed to be coming to collect him. The picture was of a middle aged woman with long purple hair standing at a beach. Bending over just far enough as to get a man's attention but not to show anything.

"Guess I should head to a shelter then." The boy said to himself. Just as something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

Red eyes... an ethereal glow...

A flock of birds took off and gained the boys attention. He looked back and saw nothing. Shaking his head and blaming the heat we was about to walk to the nearest shelter when everything shook. A shockwave blasted past him. He could feel the pressure on his eardrums and behind his eyes as the blast shook shop roller doors and overhead powerlines.

As he regained himself he could feel the ground shaking. And hear the roar of engines. Suddenly two V-TOL's with the logo 'NERV' adorned on the side of them flew past him and out to join another that was strafing backwards out from behind a hill. As the met up with the other V-TOL a dozen more appeared.

What he saw next made the boys heart jump. The V-TOL's were circling a creature. A creature that stood at almost 70 meters. Jet black skin covered it, with a Skull like object coming from between its broad shoulders, it had what looked like bone plates on its shoulders and arms. And a red orb embedded into its chest, surrounded by a rib cage.

The creature stepped forward crushing houses and cars under its giant feet. The V-TOL's opened fire with rockets and heavy calibre machineguns. Just as two cruise missiles flew over the boys head and slammed into the creature.

It reached up its left arm and a huge energy lance pushed out of its palm and sliced one of the V-TOL's in half.

The Broken V-TOL with one engine still working fell and slammed into the building in front of the boy. He fell back and looked up in time to see the Creature grown a halo and lift of the ground to sound of an ethereal choir. Its foot landed on the broken V-TOL and it burst into flames. The boy covered his face as a shadow fell across him and the sound of screaming tires pulled to a stop in front of him.

The Boy looked up and saw a blue hatchback with the passenger door open. "Sorry I'm late". Said the Purple headed woman. As she pulled the boy into the car and shifted gears. Speeding away only moments before the creatures foot landed right where the car had been moments ago.

* * *

><p>"Tell Artillery divisions to open fire." Said an irate man sitting inside NERV command.<p>

"Spare no expense!". Yelled a second man in a JSSDF uniform. Snapping his pencil in his fingers.

Half a dozen bombers dropped 3,000 lb bombs onto the Creature. Huge explosions ripped through everything within one hundred meters of the target.

"Not even a scratch." Bellowed the JSSDF commander. Looking at the huge screen in Central Dogma.

"Tank divisions 8 through 17 have been destroyed." Said the JSSDF General. Sitting back in his chair.

Behind them two men resided. One sitting in his chair. Fingers interwoven in front of his face. His yellow tinted glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. The other was an older man with silver hair standing with his arms behind his back to right of the sitting man.

"It seems they do have an AT Field." Said the older grey haired man.

"Yes, conventional weapons are useless versus an Angel." Said the sitting man behind his pent up fingers.

The JSSDF Commander pulled out a swipe card and swiped it past a magnetic pad next to a yellow phone.

"Yes, commence the operation." he said and hung up the phone. The two men sitting above them simple stared at the large screen in front of them.

* * *

><p>Looking through a pair of binoculars the purple headed woman watched from a distance as the creature vanished over a range of hills.<p>

What are they doing...She thought as the V-TOL's pulled back from the Creature and back over the hill, flying over the car and off into the distance.

"OH GOD! They're going to use an N2 mine! Get down!" she yelled as she pushed the boy down away from the window.

A huge Explosion that started with a high pitch whine then the sound of a million horse stampede accompanied a huge fireball that towered over a mile into the sky. A shockwave came hurtling towards the little blue car. Hitting it with hurricane force winds. The car flipped and bounced for almost thirty meters before coming to a rest on its side.

* * *

><p>"We did it!" yelled the JSSDF Commander. Jumping up from his desk in Central Dogma.<p>

"It looks like you will not be needed after all Ikari." Said the JSSDF General.

Both men looked behind them at the two men looking at the screen, neither one moved.

"Shockwave incoming." Said one of the NERV techs and the screen turned to static.

* * *

><p>"Ok now on the count of 3. Push. 1, 2, 3 PUSH." Said the purple haired woman. The car toppled from its side back onto its wheels with a loud thud. The boy looked at it and could only wonder not if it was broken... just how badly.<p>

"Th-Thank you Katsuragi." Said the boy with a sheepish look on his face.

"No, I should be the one to thank you. I doubt I could have flipped this over without your help. And please call me Misato. Ok Shinji?" Said the Purple haired woman with a big smile on her face.

The blue car sped down the highway at breakneck speed. Misato blew a strand of her purple hair from her face as she looked at the quiet boy sitting slumped in the passenger seat.

"You're very quiet aren't you?" she said with a small smile.

"I... I'm sorry." Said the boy, looking at his feet and crossing his hands in his lap.

"Silence is nothing to apologize for." She said with a bigger smile.

"Sorry." he said sheepishly. The woman groaned and looked at the boy. She desperately needed to talk. She was still pumping with adrenaline.

"So... aren't you at least a little curious about what that thing was?" she probed.

"No, there is nothing you would be allowed to tell me anyway." Said the boy in a depressing tone.

"That is where you are wrong, you can't just jump to conclusions." She said. The boy slumped over a little more. Staring at his knees. Misato sighed and went on.

"The creature you saw was a life form we call an 'Angel'." She said hoping this would strike the boy up in a conversation. But he said nothing. She sighed and went onto thinking about how much the car was going to cost to repair.

* * *

><p>In Central Dogma the JSSDF men were all chattering about how to report their victory to the government. When one of the techs spoke up.<p>

"Restoring Visuals." she said as the screen flashed and restored to a red haze. With the silhouette of the creature standing in the middle of it. It had flesh bubbling up and then retreating leaving its body without damage. A second skull pushed its way out pas the first one.

"We hit it with everything we had, that was our trump card." Said the JSSDF commander

"Damn Monster!" yelled the JSSDF General punching the desk.

The two men sitting behind the JSSDF men look on. Unsurprised by the sight before them being shown on the massive screen.

"It regenerates back to its original form." Said the grey headed man.

"Yes, left alone the Angel is a near perfect being." Said the sitting man, as he re-adjusted the glasses on his face.

"Yes, those that took of the tree of life."

"Come to punish us, those that took of the tree of wisdom." Said the man with the glasses as he looked down to the JSSDF men turning to talk to him.

* * *

><p>At that same moment a blue car pulled up to a huge door in a tunnel. Painted on the door in red is 'NERV: Gods in his heaven. All's right with the world.' The Door opened and Misato drove onto a large pallet. This is hanging from a large rail that ran down beyond where Shinji could see.<p>

"Did you get your ID card Shinji?" Misato looked at the boy as he darted his head down to his small bag.

"Y-Yes, here." he said as he handed Misato an A4 page with all the text but Shinji's first name blacked out.

"Good, now read this." She handed him a book with the title 'NERV'.

"NERV? Is this what my father is doing?" he ask as a look of slight sadness glanced over his face.

"Yes it is, we all work here." Said Misato opening her phone to read a text message.

"Are we going to where father is?"

"Yes we are." she said. Snapping the phone shut. Shinji groaned and looked frustrated as the car began to descended into NERV.

"You don't get on with your father?" she asked hoping to get a reply. But the boy said nothing and just looked out his window.

"Don't worry. He isn't so bad. I think he has been looking forward to this." she said giving sideways glance at the boy. His eyes opened wide as he shot a look back at Misato. But before he could say anything a sight that he would only have believed if he saw it greeted him.

"Wow, this is incredible." He gasped as he looked out his window, watching the buildings that were hanging from the roof of a huge subterranean cavern. hanging down like stalactites.

"Oh, a real Geo-Front." He looked down in amazement at what appeared like a world lost in time. A paradise with clear blue water, and trees and grass covering the entire floor of the cavern. A cavern miles across.

"Yes. This is the seed of which humanity can rebuild, and also its last bastion of defence." Misato smiled at the dumbfounded boy as the pallet train carrying the car descended into NERV.

"Ikari, everything we have tried has been unable to stop the monster. Are you sure you can succeed where we have failed?" said the JSSDF General.

"That is the reason NERV exists." said a smiling Gendo Ikari as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Well we put our trust in you. Do not fail us." The other JSSDF man said as the left the room.

"Fuyutsuki, I leave this in your hands." Gendo said as he stepped onto a small lift and began to descend.

"It will be their first meeting in three years." Fuyutsuki looked concerned as he watched the place Gendo had descended into.

"Deputy Commander. The target has begun to move again." said one of the NERV techs.

"All units, level one battle stations." Could be heard resonating throughout the facility.

Three sets of doors swung open as Shinji and Misato stood on a conveyer walkway speeding them into NERV's cage holding zone.

"I swear we were right to make a left there..." mumbled Misato

"You're lost. Aren't you?" Shinji said without looking up from the NERV book.

"Well if we keep going, were bound to end up somewhere." Misato said louder than was really necessary.

A woman in a diving suit pulled herself out of the water. Unzipping her diving suit and taking off her diving mask and snorkel. She turned to look at the door and the techs walking past it.

"Still hasn't arrived. I bet she has gotten lost." Said the blond woman.

Misato was standing in the lift. She was late and she knew it. Things were heating up, the atmosphere around NERV was tense to say the least. People were running through the corridors and handing clipboards to each other. As her mind began to focus on what needed to be done. The lift doors opened and a rather annoyed looking fake blond walked in.

"Ah, Ritsuko..." Misato said as she backed into the lift.

"You're twelve minutes late Misato. I decided to come find you myself."

"Ah, sorry." Misato apologized with a smile.

"Is this the boy?" Ritsuko said as she looked at Shinji.

"Yup, that's him."

"Shinji." She said. The boy looked up at the doctor. "There is something you need to see."

After a long ride up escalators, lifts and walkways they finally reached a door labelled. 'Cage: Unit 01'. Shinji still had his nose buried in the book as Ritsuko swiped her card on the magnetic reader next to the door. Making it open. She stepped inside and ushered the other two in.

"Shinji, look at this." She said, clicking a light switch and lighting the whole room up. Shinji gasped as he looked on the face of a gigantic purple robot in front of him. He stood in awe and fear of such a thing. Looking up to the point of its horn. Only just realising how huge this machine was.

"The ultimate man-made multipurpose fighting machine. The artificial human, Evangelion. Humanities last trump card." Said the blond doctor with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Is this fathers work?" Shinji said as he looked over the face.

"Indeed." came the male voice from the overlook above. Shinji looked up to see his father looking down on him. "It's been a while." Shinji couldn't look his father in the face. His mind was running with emotions he had not felt in three years. He looked away as his mind went into overdrive. _Why am I here, why after all this time why does father need me now?_

Gendo looked down on his son, for the first time in three years and felt the same thing he had felt back then. Regret. _If only he would understand, a father will do anything to protect his son. Even if that thing is most painful to bare_.

_I am sorry_ he thought. "Prepare to sortie."

Misato nearly choked on her own breath. "Sortie!? But we can't use Rei, and Unit 00 is still frozen. Unless you intend on using Unit 01. But we don't have a Pilot."

"We do, Shinji. You will pilot it." Said Ritsuko. The boys head jerked up and looked at his father.

"Why am I here?" he asked in a monotone voice.

"It is exactly as you think." Gendo replied in much the same way.

"To pilot this thing and fight that monster I saw earlier? I-I-I can't do it." Shinji Blurted out tears welling up in his eyes.

"Fuyutsuki." Gendo said as he looked to a video panel to his right. Where a live feed from the Command Center came up with Kozo Fuyutsuki's face on it. "Wake Rei."

"Can we still use her?" The Deputy Commander asked.

"Not to pilot, but I think I can use her." Gendo said as he turned to walk out.

The IV drip in her are and the bag it was attached to bounced around as a group of doctors ran in with a young girl on a stretcher. The Girl had to be around fourteen, she had light blue hair and crimson eyes. And as she was wheeled past Shinji, he felt a feeling of familiarity with the girl. Even though he knew he had never met her before. She lay on the bed, looking at the roof before trying to prop herself up on her elbows.

Shinji just watched. _How can they make her pilot this thing in that condition_. Just as he thought this the door the girl came through opened again. This time his father, the commander of NERV walked through and straight up to Shinji.

"Father..." Shinji said, barely audible.

"Shinji, you must do this, do not run away. Be the man I hoped you to become."

"But father, I don't know how. I came here cause you called me. But I cannot do this." Shinji whimpered "Please don't make me."

Gendo bent down in front of his son. "I won't make you. You must choose to do this yourself. But if you don't. This girl will pilot it. She knows the danger and she will fight for all of us."

"But why her, why me? Why don't you do it?"

"I would, any of us would. But we cannot physically use this machine. Only the two of you can." Gendo slowly took his classes off.

"But why us... Who chose us?"

"Fate."

Just at that moment the whole room shook violently. everyone lost footing and fell. The lights hanging from the room broke free. Falling towards Shinji and Gendo. As fast as a blinking eye a giant purple hand came up from the water and covered Gendo and his son. _Thank you Yui, a family once again._ Gendo help Shinji back up.

"What happened?" Said a voice over the comm.

"Eva moved. Broke its restraints." Said another voice.

Misato looked over and saw what had happened. _It protected the boy, and his father. He can do this_. Gendo and Shinji ran to the blue haired girl. Now on the ground gasping in pain. Both of them lifted her back onto the stretcher.

Shinji looked at the girl and then to his father.

Gendo put one hand on Shinji's shoulder. "I put my life in your hands. There is alot of explaining I have to do to you Shinji. But if you do not do this, I will never have the chance." he backed away and began to help the doctors get the girls stretcher out of the way.

_Mustn't run away, Mustn't run away, Mustn't run away, Mustn't run away, Mustn't run away!_

"I'll do it. I'll Pilot it." Shinji spoke harshly. His father gave an approving nod and looked at Misato. She nodded and escorted Shinji to the Entry Plug.

* * *

><p>"Third cooling cycle complete." Said one of the techs<p>

"Roger, Unlocking connecters." Said another tech.

"Auxiliary systems online. No Problems."

"Shutdown signal plug extraction complete." Said a short haired female sitting at a computer in the command centre.

"Inserting entry Plug."

"Unlocking spinal conductive network. Ready for connection."

"Plug inserted. Prime sync established."

The blond doctor walked up to the young female tech. "Bring us to first contact."

"Yes Doctor." Said the petite Tech.

"Sync ratio is 41%, he isn't even wearing a plug suit. Incredible." Said the doctor with a smile on her face.

"Flooding Entry Plug with LCL."

Shinji noticed the light orange liquid filling the tube. "What is this-" he was cut off but holding his breath.

"Breath normally the LCL will fill your lungs and provide oxygen to your body." Said Ritsuko. Shinji opened his mouth and breathed in. It was an odd sensation. Like being in 200% humidity. But other than that he seemed fine. _I didn't drown. I can do this._

"Ionise the LCL." Shinji looked around as a rainbow of colours flittered over him. followed by grey then he was looking down on all the people.

Misato was yelling orders all over the command centre as Gendo took his seat next to Fuyutsuki. "Move Unit 01 to launch pad six." she bellowed.

Shinji felt Unit 01 being moved on conveyers. It wasn't moving fast but he could look out at all the people. They were all so small. He got a feeling of power and superiority. This feeling vanished as he jerked to stop at the bottom of the launch tube.

"Tube is clear... All systems are green." Said the young tech.

Misato turned around and looked at the commander. "Do I have you permission sir?"

"Of cause, without Eva humanity has no hope."

Fuyutsuki spoke to Gendo without looking away from the massive display screen. "Ikari. Are you sure about this?"

"Not really. But as of now. What choice do we have?" Gendo's eyes narrowed as he focused on the screen.

"Unit 01, Launch!" Yell Misato. Shinji was catapulted at high velocity upwards. The LCL cushioned the effect but Shinji was still sure he felt his stomach move into his feet.

* * *

><p>The Angel walked through the city and stopped as a large tile, the size of a building lit up and opened. It watched with almost morbid fascination as Unit 01 appeared out of the hole.<p>

"Ok Shinji. The unit will emulate what you want it to do. So try concentrating in walking." Said Ritsuko.

"Walk." The Unit took a mighty step forward. Shaking the ground as it placed its foot in the middle of the street. "Walk." The Units other foot began to move. _Father thinks I can do this. Everyone thinks I can do this. I think I can do this._ The foot firmly hit the ground. Shinji was about to pat himself on the back when he looked up and saw the Angel slowly advancing on him. Fear gripped him and her froze as it got closer. It examined him. Looking at the purple monster.

"What do I do?!" Shinji yelled. His voice shaking with fear. Gendo narrowed his eyes. Fixed his glasses on his nose and spoke up.

"That red orb in its heart. You must destroy that to defeat the Angel." Everyone looked up and Gendo. His face was full of concern. Yet with the distance. Only The Deputy Commander notice this. And smiled a little.

Shinji thought of attacking it. And as if acting on its own impulse Unit 01 lashed its fist out at the Angel. Striking it hard in the face and forcing it back down the street and onto its back. Gasps could be heard all over NERV command. No one, even the commander could believe it. _This is good fortune. I knew you could do it Shinji._ The Angel began to get up as Shinji was trying to comprehend what he had just done. But before he could the Angel moved faster than anyone expected and grabbed Unit 01 by the face. It used its other hand to latch onto the Unit's arm. Tensing and snapping the arm.

Shinji screamed in the entry plug. Grabbing his arm feeling the pain as if it was his are that broke.

"Shinji, calm down. That isn't your arm, you need to focus." Yelled The blond doctor. But to no avail. Shinji was in a panic, he was holding his arm screaming in pain. Gendo closed his eyes and hoped. _Yui, our son needs you now. You must not forsake him._ The Angels hand that was holding the Eva's head began to launch its energy lance. Pounding the armour of Uni 01.

Shinji clutched at his eye as he felt the pain. Coughing and crying, he spluttered a little blood into the LCL from his mouth. In the stress he had bitten his tongue.

"The armour can't take much more. It's going to fracture." Yelled the tech girl.

Time slowed... All sound died away aside from two voices. The first, a man's voice. Deep and concerned.

**What did I tell you son. If you don't do this. I will be unable to explain myself.**

The other was almost as soft as a sweet summer breeze. Blowing notes of music through the trees. There were no words. And Shinji felt a warmth caress his face.

"Unit 01 is disconnecting. Its rejecting all commands." said a panicked tech.

"It's not working." Ritsuko yelled. But behind her, Gendo let out a sigh of relief. _Thank you... Yui._

Unit 01's eyes lit up like beacons. It grabbed the Angels arm with its un-damaged hand. And pulled the arm out of its socket with a sickening pop. It then proceeded to break both the Angels arms. It kicked the Angel backwards, sending it flying down the street and into a pile buildings, that were crushed under the immense impact.

Unit 01's mouth guard broke open as the purple monster let out a Terrifying howl. The Angel got up and fired to particle beams from its eyes. The beams engulfed Unit 01. The Command crew in Central Dogma all gasped as the light subsided and Unit 01 was revealed and undamaged. It ran at the Angel roaring the whole way. But it was slammed to a stop as it collided with a wall of yellow and green tinted Hexagons.

"AT field!" Gasped Misato.

"Yes, as long as that field is up, you can hurt and Angel." said the doctor.

Unit 01 pulled its broken arm up. And the arm spontaneously regenerated in a flash of light.

"Left arm restored." said the young tech in complete awe.

"Amazing." Gasped Misato. Her eyes the size of dinner plates.

Unit 01 proceeded to raise its own AT field.

"Unit 01 is negating the space between them." the tech fumbled.

"No... Its corroding it." said Ritsuko.

The giant purple mecha ripped the AT field in two, and tackled the Angel into some nearby buildings. It proceeded to beat the core with its fists. But to no avail. It ripped one of the Angels ribs out, with a sickening crack the rib broke free. The Eva began stabbing the red core with the rib, growling as it did.

"We have won." Said Fuyutsuki. Gendo just looked on. No emotion on his face.

The core began to break, and as a last ditch effort, the Angel let out a squeal as it wrapped itself around the Eva's head. And exploded in a brilliant light and shower of blood.

"Status of Eva?" Misato orders.

"We have no readings." Said the doctor. Gendo looked on with a feeling of satisfaction. He smiled a little as he viewed the screen. The images showed Eva Unit 01 walking slowly towards them.

"Is this Eva's..." Misato Started

"True power?" Ritsuko finished.

* * *

><p>Misato was in a Hazmat suit the next morning, overlooking the crater made by the exploding Angel. A small lake of blood was formed at ground zero, the buildings were all stained red with blood and bits of black and grey flesh.<p>

"Doctor. Did you get any readings on Eva when it went berserk?" Misato asked, as she turned to the Doctor.

"Unfortunately no." Ritsuko stated matter of factually.

"Is that bad?" Said the young tech.

"We honestly don't know yet Maya. Why are you here?." Said the doctor to the smaller Orange Hazmat suit.

"I came to tell Misato that the Third Child is awake." Misato looked back at Maya.

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>Shinji stood at the window. Looking out at the world. <em>Was it all a dream?<em> He turned to see the young girl from before being pushed past him. _I can't place it. We have met before. I am sure of it._

Shinji walked out to the waiting room. And sat looking at his arm. He could hear footsteps coming up behind him. He turned to see Misato standing behind his seat.

"Let's go get something to eat huh?" she smiled brightly. Shinji nodded, it was like his mouth had been sewn shut.

The two walked into NERV cafeteria and sat at a table. Just before Misato could say anything her phone rang.

"Yes. Ok. Yes. I'll be there in a sec. Sorry Shinji. Duty calls, just go up and ask for something. The fish is good today." She smiled and walked briskly away. Shinji looked over his right shoulder at where he should go get his food. Doing so he didn't notice the seat to his right pullout. Nor the large figure sit down next to him. But what did get his attention was the smell of delicious fish.

Shinji looked down and saw his meal. Took a second to collect himself then snapped his head up to his right looking into his spectacle wearing neighbor. Gendo settled down next to his son. Pushing the food closer trying to encourage Shinji to eat.

Gendo was about to speak. But Shinji beat him to it. "It was horrible father. I... I have never been so afraid in my life. Why, why did I have to do that?"

Gendo looked his son in the eyes. "I won't say you are being a coward. We know that the nerve transfers can be excruciating. But I will say this. Shinji, you did a good thing. You saved all of us. I know I have never been there for you, and I would not expect forgiveness... No, I would reject you're forgiveness outright." Shinji just looked at his father, unsure of that to think. "Shinji I left you long ago after Yui passed. I did this not for myself but for you." Shinji was just blank. "I left because I was going into a spiral of self destruction, and the last thing I needed was to pull you with me. So, I left. I left and began to sort myself out. I stayed in contact as best I could but..." Shinji could feel the tears building up in his eyes. "I was not ready to live my life then, let alone raise another. Leaving was the most painful thing I have ever done. But I would do it again if it was in your best interests." Shinji could feel the tears rolling down his face. _This has to be a dream._ "Shinji I expect to earn you're forgiveness, not have it handed to me. You must promise me to earn it." Shinji nodded and put his head on his father's shoulder, letting his tears come.

After a few minutes Shinji asked. "Father, Am I going to pilot that thing again?"

Gendo looked at his son. "Only if you want to. But know this Shinji, you have the power to save lives, and protect the ones you love. A power that only you have." Shinji's mind was a mess. His father's blurted confession and the fear of having to pilot the Eva again. Mixed even more with the feeling of responsibility he now had to pilot it and protect those he loved... including his estranged father.

"Don't decide now. You need rest I'm sure." Shinji was in fact, exhausted. "I have made arrangements to live at either Miss Katsuragi's residence, or my own." Shinji looked at his father and thought for a bit.

"I would rather get to know you again dad." Gendo smiled, a genuine smile

"Ok I will make some calls and have you're things moved there. But Shinji, one rule. Here I am you're commander too. But at home I am you're father. Shinji smiled a weak smile and nodded. "See you at home son."

A/N: I do hope you enjoyed the First chapter. As promised I tried to stay as close to the original as possible. Only changing what needed to be changed. However from now on things do get a fair bit different. Not Event wise but character wise.

Feedback is appreciated. Oh and thanks to an anonymous review for pointing out that like a git I forgot the scene dividers. Cheers buddy.


	3. Chapter 2: Change is Infinite

Disclaimer: I don't your own Evangelion blah blah, you know how it goes. But if I did own it Koworu would wear pink and be fabulous.

Chapter 2: Change is Infinite

It had been a week since Shinji four by third angel Sachiel. Since he had found a new and unfamiliar feeling lonely up inside him. The feeling of being wanted. He had spent much of his life wondering from place to place with no real purpose. Who had always been alone, living day by day simply trying to get by. Now his life had taken a turn, a turn in what direction he couldn't tell but everything was changing.  
>He had been doing training on almost a daily basis since. Everyone was quite impressed at how quickly he had picked up the tactics, and operations have an Evangelion. He was even starting to find pride in himself, and believing that he could actually do this. His training with the blond Doctor, Ritsuko Akagi the given him the confidence he had never found himself before.<br>His father's newfound respect for him was something Shinji had only ever dreamed of for majority of his life. He had never realized that his father had disconnected from him to protect him. Nor did he realize how difficult it was for is father to do this.

Shinji's eyes opened his vision blurred and bleary, he set up in the sheets and his new bed. The bed situated in a large room in a large house in the upper class area of Tokyo-3. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at his alarm clock. He stared as the red letters changed from 6:28, to 6:29 and finally after what seemed like an eternity 6:30. He'd rate himself out of his bed and shuffled sleepily over to his cupboard.

He opened the cupboard and started searching through trousers and T shirts hanging from the coat hangers. He put on a black pair of trousers, or white button up shirt and some brown shoes. He went with bedside table and put on his watch. Today, was the first day of school.

Shinji walked down the stairs of the new home. He walked into the kitchen and his nose immediately assailed by the delicious smell of scrambled eggs, small sausages, bacon and fried bread. Shinji was very confused about the mix of smells, he had never smelt a combination of us in Japan before. His question was soon answered, when Gendo Ikari walked straight past him and into the kitchen. Gendo sat down at the head of the table when a lady walked out of place to place of the food down in front of him. Gendo without looking up from his meal motion for Shinji a sit down at the other end of the table.

A European woman wearing a tank top and a pair of jeans walked out and placed a plate with Shinji's breakfast on the fun of him. Shinji looking a little confused looked at his father, who looked up from his meal and spoke.

"Shinji, this is Michelle. She is the maid of the house and looks after a while I'm away on business. She'll be quite happy to drop you at school, and pick you up." Gendo immediately straight the glasses on his face and went back to his meal.

Shinji began to eat his western meal. The tastes that now existed in his mouth was something Shinji had never experienced, he was still unsure whether or not to like it but he could hardly say that it was bad.

" I have to leave now. Shinji, remember you have a sync test this afternoon." Gendo probably stood up, picked up his briefcase and walked up the front door.

Shinji looked out the window of Michelle's car as she drove through the districts of Tokyo-3. He was watching the buildings go past when curiosity got the better of him.

" So why is the European woman in Japan?" Shinji asked

" Well..." She began "My father was in fact Japanese. He met my mother when he was on business in France. Hear my mother had an affair and nine months later I was born. I came to Japan to find him, and when I did I was happy to find out who is an ordinary businessman."

"Then how did you end up working for my father?" Shinji asked with more a small bit of curiosity in his voice.

" Well, Japan like most other countries requires you have an income in order to live. I decided to stay here because I love the culture, and I'd already bothered to learn the language." She laughed "But also, because I wanted to get to know your father. As to how I ended up working for your father, well, let's just say he found me."

Shinji was most perplexed by that last line. He was about to ask what she meant when the car came to a halt at the front of his school.

" I'll be sure to pick you up at 4:00, if there is any change to the time call your father, he will let me know." She said in an almost professional way.

* * *

><p>Shinji got out of the car and waved as it sped away. He looked up at the school and sighed. He walked up the front stairs and into the main hallway. The hallway was like are stereotypical school, the always were basic and blank. Each class had its own locker room.<p>

Shinji walked into the locker room and found his locker, opening and depositing his bag he quickly snatched up his books, a few pens, his laptop and his SDAT player. He then walked out of the locker room and up the hall. He was looking for the classroom labelled '2-A'.

He finally found the room and walked in about 5 minutes before homeroom. As he walked in he could feel people watching him, this is expected this being the new transferee. He found a table situated near the window, just before he sat down he looked to is left and spotted the familiar blue hair of the girl he had seen only a week before. He decided that seeing as they were going to be working together, he may as well go and get to know her.

" Hi, Ayanami Right? I saw you in the hospital." He asked. She looked up at him her crimson eyes glinting in the light from a window and her blue hair shining. He got a little nervous he knew he had seen that face somewhere before, but could never quite place it. There was also something about her eyes, the way that she looked at him almost seeming to stare through his eyes and into his soul. After what seemed like an eternity but was really only about 10 or 15 seconds she responded.

"Yes." She said almost to the deadpan attitude. He looked straight into her eyes confusion meeting unfamiliarity contorting within him. He had to say something, anything would have been better than nothing at the moment.

"So how are you?" He blurted out. She looked up at him with a blank expression on her face, but the slightest hint of confusion mixed with relief.

"Adequate" she stated plainly.

Shinji shrugged and went back to his seat, the teacher then proceeds to drone on about second impact. Shinji already knew all of this, and proceeded to open his laptop and begin surfing the Internet.  
>Within about 5 minutes there was a quiet beep emanating from his laptop. He looked down to the bottom right corner and soar a little red one coming up from a little digital representation of an envelope. Using his Track pad he clicked on the envelope where an instant message popped up onto his screen.<br>The screen name was 'cUtE-oNe'. He looked around to see who it could be. He looked over his left shoulder and noticed two girls gathered around a single laptop. One of the girls looked up and waved at him with a smile on her face. He looked down at the screen to RE read a message. The message stated;

'Is it true you were the pilot of that robot?' Shinji looked at the message, he was wondering just how much trouble he would be in if he answered truthfully. He decided against that but before he knew at his fingers for type the word;

'Yes.' He was immediately ambushed by almost every member of the class aside from three. One sat listening intently typing on his laptop furiously. The other had his feet up on the desk or frown upon his face. And the third continue to use her crimson eyes to stare out the window into the yonder.

Questions were being thrown at Shinji from all angles, most of them about what it was like to pilot the robot, closely followed by the question of how you have selected an isolating anyone else.  
>Before Shinji could say anything else a hand place roughly on his shoulder. He spun around us he thought was, he saw a tall boy with darker skin and jet black hair that had been combed into a spike at the front wearing a tracksuit. And a slightly lighter looking boy with brighter hair, freckles and spectacles.<p>

" Y-yes?" Shinji started out. He could see the boy with spectacles is about to say something, but the boy in a tracksuit shot him an evil look. He proceeded to them roughly drag Shinji down the stairs, out the bottom floor and into the yard.

SMACK!

The sound almost echoed over the school, luckily for Shinji no one was sitting near the windows and his classroom to see what will be happening between him and the two boys.

" I'm sorry I had the hit you boy, but I had to do this because now are even." The boy in a tracksuit said rubbing his knuckles. He had just done Shinji in the right cheek, leaving a bright red mark that would very clearly bruise.

"He's not really a bad guy, really. It's just that his sister was hurt in that battle the city and is stuck in hospital with serious injuries." The boy had a slightly apologetic look on his face, he knew that Shinji had not had a choice, he knew that wasn't Shinji's fault that the young girl was injured. But in the end he stood loyally by his friend.

"It's not like I wanted to pilot it..." Shinji said softly almost a whisper. However not softly enough to escape the ears of the tall track suited boy. Without a word the boy spun around, pushed his spectacled friend out the way and stormed over to Shinji. He grabbed Shinji by the collar and pulled him up to look him straight the face.  
>The track suited boy showed a huge frowned on his face as he proceeds to drawback is other hand are knock Shinji back to the ground.<p>

After the two boys had stormed away, Shinji lay on his back with his arm resting on his forehead as he stared up into the deep blue sky. Staring intently hoping to get lost in the deep blue ocean that was an atmosphere.

" I didn't mean to hurt the girl, but I cannot decide if it right to sacrifice a few innocent lives to save many more." He said to himself as his mind wandered over the events of the last few days.  
>A shadow covered his face, he looked up to see the face of Ayanami Rei staring back at him.<p>

"There's been a call" she paused. " I'll go one ahead." She turned away and began to run for the school gates. Shinji looked back up into the sky squinting as the sun met his eyes.

"Come on Shinji lets go." He said to himself as he got up and then for the school gates after Rei. What he didn't know was that two sets of eyes were watching him through the window at the classroom above.

"If they're leaving in such a hurry I guess some means we'll be heading to the shelters soon." Said the spectacle boy.

"Yeah, I really hope he gets what's coming to him. I hear karma come back like that." Said the track suited boy as his eyes followed the two as they got into an armored car with the red label NERV on the side of it.

* * *

><p>"Ok Shinji a member your training." Misato began. " fire in short bursts and concentrate on the enemies core."<p>

"Got it." Said Shinji to the comm. He could feel his Evangelion being moved to launch pad. He gripped onto his control yolks and brace himself for the imminent call to be launched. He waited for what seemed to be years, and just as he was starting to relax, sitting back into his seat, relaxing his grip on the control yolks.

" Evangelion launch!" Yelled Misato from NERV's command centre.

Shinji was sent rocketing upwards. He had just been relaxing into a seat when they Evangelion was launched upwards. In the back of his mind he thought._ Dammit Misato you did that on purpose! _ He could feel the G force pushing against him as he rose higher and higher up through the Geo Front. Luckily for him the LCL was absorbing majority of the G forces, otherwise he was fairly sure that his skeleton would have turned to liquid.

* * *

><p>At the very moment Shinji was about to get launched two boys were sitting on the floor of one of a large shelters in Tokyo-3. The boy wearing his tracksuit had his shoes of which the laces were tied together they were draped around his neck. The spectacle boy was busy trying to get a signal for the TV on his video camera.<p>

"Damn, the controlling the signals again. You think they should let us, the public, watch such an important event." Said the spectacle boy as he tilted his camera to and fro trying to signal. Only to no avail.

"Yeah well what can you do, they have the power eh?" He said looking dishevelled.

" I have to see it just once, this is the fight for humanity that is going on up there and they won't let us watch." The boy's eyes opened up wide, he looked at the boy in a tracksuit intensely. " hey come to the bathroom with me, I have a plan."

" Why the hell what I want to come to the bathroom with you?" Said the track suited boy.

" Come on please I have to do this just once, you don't have to follow me but I have to see this." The spectacled boy was a rush with excitement.

"You're a slave to your passions you know that Kensuke?" The Tall boy sighed.

"Come on Toji, you know you will enjoy watching as much as I do." Kensuke smirked.

The two boys ran down the hallway towards the emergency exit. They found the door was unlocked but shut.

"Hey come on give me a hand here. I can't open this door on my own." Kensuke said over his shoulder.

"Ok, you need my muscle now do you? Not strong enough?" Toji laughed.

"Yes I NEED you, now come help me pull this door open." Kensuke said, rolling his eyes.

As the two boys pushed they were greeted by the blazing sunlight, and long stone staircase leading over the mountain.

"After you four eyes." Toji said with a look of 'holy shit that's a long staircase' on his face.

The two boys ran up as fast as they could go. Reaching a tourist view point about halfway up the hill.

"This is a perfect vantage point." Kensuke pointed out the view they had over Tokyo-3.

Both the boys looked up in stunned silence as a great creature hovered over the city. Shrugging of the heavy fire it was under like an elephant would shrug off a BB pellet. The creature was like a giant flying squid with clawing ribs sticking out of its under-hide and two energy whips for limbs.

"This is so cooool!" Kensuke whipped up his video camera. Jerking his camera to a building popping up on the scene. "This is what I came to see!"

The building had an immense folding door on one side, the side facing the two boys. It folded down to reveal Unit 01.

* * *

><p>The Plugs view screen only let the glare from the sun in for a second before it polarized and the glare vanished to reveal a crystal clear view of the city.<p>

"Pilots main view has been polarized, power is connected." Maya Ibuki yelled inside NERV command.

"Unit is in full operation, all lights are green." Shigeru Aoba yelled only half a second after Maya finished.

"AT Field is fully expanded, Unit is ready for release." Makoto Hyuga yelled looking directly at Misato.

"Release Unit 01. Begin the Operation." Misato Yelled to get a confirming grunt from Gendo.

Unit 01 lurched forward as its legs took its full weight. Shinji knew what to do. He reefed the massive chain gun out of its housing next to where the unit had been locked in. He pointed the chain gun at the Angel and fired. Releasing the trigger after a few rounds to let the smoke clear he saw the creature was unharmed.

"Shinji, move to co ordinance, 33-26, on a lambda movement pattern!" Misato Yelled from the command centre.

"...What?" Shinji asked with a look of 110% confusion on his face.

Misato sighed. "Just follow the damn crosshair!"

_Right! _Shinji could do that, diving as one of the Angels energy whips sliced the housing he and his weapon came from. Unit 01 scrambled to its feet and continued running in the indicated direction, ducking behind buildings using them as cover.

"I want a smoke screen from Artillery at grid D7, sub grid 25, cover the units movements." Misato ordered to Makoto.

"D7-25 lay down smoke on the target." Makoto yelled into his headset.

Hundreds of rockets exploded around the angel as it was shrouded in the smoke screen. Unit 01 took advantage of this moment and bolted to its vantage point. Levelling its weapon at the angel and opening fire.

"DIE ALREADY!" Shinji yelled from his plug.

His chain gun ran dry and was spinning in a cloud of its own muzzle smoke. Shinji looked on as the smoke screen cleared.

"Ok that was fucking awesome!" Toji blurted out. Watching in awe at the unfolding scene.

"Tell me about it. That guy can really pilot that thing." Kensuke added.

"Is it dead?" Toji asked, watching as the large smoke screen dissipated.

"It has to be, did you see the size of those shells? The empty cartridges were the size of a family car, I can only imagine how big the actually shells were." Kensuke watched through his camera's zoom at the smoke cloud. "Wait... something is moving in the smoke!"

"Movement!" Makoto yelled out, as everyone in NERV command suddenly looked up from all the data readouts they had.

"It isn't dead? Swap to IR." Misato ordered.

The main display became a grainy grey, but in the middle, where the smoke cloud was, was the shape of the angel, with a bright yellow glow. Radiating outward to red, green then blue.

"Target is not neutralized repeat, target is not neutralized." Aoba yelled into his mic.

Shinji got the message and dropped his gun. Pulling out his Progo Knife. He stared at the cloud of smoke as it drifted and faded away.

"I still can't see anything." Shinji reported. Looking intently at his view screen.

Suddenly an energy whip extended out of the cloud locking onto Unit 01's ankle and flinging it across the city. The unit's shadow covered the buildings as it flew over, spinning in the air heading for a hillside Shinji could make out the bland details of a stone staircase.

* * *

><p>"RUN RUN!" Toji yelled as the two boys clambered to get out of the way.<p>

"OH SHIT!" Kensuke yelled as both the boys realised the Eva was just too big to get out from under in time. The boys fell and curled up into balls expecting the end as the purple behemoth slammed into the hillside. Dust and debris flew in all directions as a purple Bio-mech with the weight of a naval destroyer settled onto the hillside, splayed out like a victim.

Shinji looked around, trying to orientate himself, the giant purple head of his mecha, twisting and turning as he looked around. Peering through the dust, he could make out the form of the Angel slowly advancing on him. But as he looked around he noticed something else in the corner of his unit's vision. A mere half a meter from his left hand he saw two specks.

* * *

><p>"Optical zoom, two point five times." Shinji watched as the view zoomed in on the two specks. "Oh... god." Shinji gasped.<p>

"Shinji's classmates? What are they doing out of the shelter?" Misato exclaimed in the NERV HQ.

"I can't just leave them here!" Shinji shouted.

"46 seconds till the angel is on top of them." Makoto yelled out.

Gendo Ikari leaned forward with his fingers interwoven in front of his face as they usually are. Everyone on the bridge when quiet awaiting his orders.

"Let the two into the plug, use the emergency access and the auto ladder." Gendo ordered.

"Sir, all due respect I don't think non pilots can be allowed in the entry plug." Doctor Akagi stated.

"29 seconds!"

Gendo looked down at the Doctor with a look of distain on his face.

"Follow my orders doctor." He said with the slightest hint of annoyance at being second guessed.

"Shinji, let the two boys into your plug, use the emergency access." Misato yelled.

The plug went dark. And half ejected out the spine of Unit 01. The two boys looked up as a hatch opened and a ladder extended down.

"You two, get in!" Said a female voice over the comm.

The two boys stepped onto the bottom rung of the ladder as it retracted up to the hatch.

"11 seconds!" Makoto shouted.

The two boys fell into the LCL flooding the entry plug.

"Ugh, is this water?" Kensuke gasped.

The angel moved overhead as the plug re-entered Unit 01's spine and all lit back up. Shinji jerked the controls as the angel lashed out with its two energy whips. He caught both of them, clenching his teeth as the heat on the palms of the unit began to heat rapidly, the nerve feedback cause him immense pain.

With all his strength he flung the angel away, standing up and picking his Progo Knife back up.

"Shinji, retreat along path 28 now! We can try again later." Misato said with a little exasperation.

"No. I can do this." He said. Staring at the angel with intense hate.

"Shinji that an ord-" Misato was cut off by Gendo as he stood up, fixing his glasses.

"Allow the pilot to use some judgement." he stated, looking at Misato. Who in return smiled and looked back at the screen.

"You make the call Shinji, we are in your hands." She stood a little proudly looking back at the commander with a nod. Met by a proud smirk from Gendo Ikari.

Shinji lurched the Unit forwards with its knife held tight in its right hand. Sliding down the hillside at a tremendous pace. As he got closer the angel sent both its whips flailing out at Unit 01. Piercing it in the lower abdomen sticking far out the other side. Shinji felt the hit and gasped in pain but pushed on. He held the knife out as he collided with the angel. Sparks rained all over the units head as it stuck the knife deep into the angels S2 organ. Unit 01 lifted the angel up as it pushed the knife deep into the angel's life source.

There was no sound from the angel, its energy whips faded, leaving two great holes raining blood in Unit 01. The angel convulsed a little then exploded into a tidal wave of steaming blood. The blood rained onto everything even spawning a few rainbows as the sunlight was divided through the droplets.

Shinji sat in his pilot's seat gasping holding his stomach where the two whips had gone though the unit. The two boys watched as Shinji sat in his seat gasping in pain.

"Angel destroyed this time" Aoba stated. Looking over his data feeds.

"Misato smiled, good job Shinji, you did it." But when there was no reply she looked at Maya with concern written over her face. "What is the status of the pilot?" She asked.

"Erratic but stable. His is just in alot of pain." Maya responded.

"Fuyutsuki, I leave you in charge." Gendo stated as he stood on his small personal lift. As it descended down into the bowels of NERV Kozo Fuyutsuki could only smile.

"Retrieving Unit 01 in bay 13." Makoto stated.

And everyone on the bridge relaxed. All but Misato, who was looking at the blood soaked form of Unit 01 being lifted onto a retrieval lift.

A/N. _I have been through an updated some spelling and grammar, its still terrible. But it should be more legible now.  
><em>

_As always feedback is appreciated. If you find a spelling or grammar error let me know so I can fix it._

_Cheers-_


	4. Chapter 3 :Forgiving Hypocrites

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or any of its characters... Probably for the best ;)

Chapter 3: Forgiving Hypocrites.

[Approximately 5 days after the attack of Shamshel.]

It was ten minutes before the power was going to be cut from the city for an hour to provide enough power to 'cold start' Unit 00.

Shinji was laying on his bed staring at the roof when he heard his door creak open. He didn't pay much attention to it. Just staring at the roof running through the battle with the fourth angel in his head. His attention was snapped back to Earth when he felt someone sit on the end of his bed.

"You are still awake. You're not tired after today?" Said Gendo Ikari perched on the end of Shinji's bed.

"I am tired, more tired than I could possibly tell you dad, I just can't seem to close my eyes." Shinji said sitting up and crossing his legs. Looking at his father.

"You went through a very stressful ordeal Shinji. The bridge staff are amazed you stayed conscious through it all." Gendo stated rather flatly. "Oh... And I have been told... Commanded to give you the congratulations of the bridge crew." Gendo let a weak smile spread on his face.

"Who can order you around?" Shinji asked, not sure if this was true or a failed attempt at humour.

"Let's just say some, purple haired women can be very, demanding. And leave it at that. Shinji I suggest you take sleeping medication and try to sleep. You have school tomorrow and I have to take you there." Gendo looked at Shinji, the light from the door making his glasses shine and opaque gold.

"What happened to Michelle?" Shinji asked.

"She is a human to Shinji, she needed a holiday. I believe she has gone back to France for a few weeks."

"Oh, so you will drive me to school tomorrow?" Shinji felt a little excited. But Gendo smirked.

"Shinji, why would I drive when I can have someone drive us. But I will come into the school with you, I need to talk to your teacher." Gendo stated. Shinji was a little worried at what his father needed to 'talk' to his teacher about. But he was also looking forward to seeing the class's faces when Gendo walked into the room.

"Ok, now where is that medication?" Gendo asked himself as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle, tapping two tablets out of it he threw them into his mouth and gulp them down with a glass of water.

"You're not the only one with trouble sleeping, it was MY son in that machine you know." Gendo stood up and walked out, slowly closing the door. Shinji could only smile at the comment his father made. He looked at his clock, it was still only 9pm. He needed to sleep. Looking at his bedside table he noticed his father had left the pills there. Grabbing two of them, he gulped them down with some water.

"I wonder how long they take to-" Shinji fell back onto his bed with a loud WUMP and fell immediately into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning the sunlight erupted across the landscape of Tokyo-3, making all the buildings cast long shadows and the four main generators of the solar arrays turning to begin tracking the sun. The light illuminated the green hillsides, the blue water in the water dams. And the blood red of the LCL filled oceans. It turned the clear sky an early morning purple and red.<p>

The light covered every inch of the city, the insects started chirping and birds looking for the first worm of the day. It also however made a bee line directly through a gap in the curtains of Shinji Ikari's bedroom, and straight onto his face. Groaning and beginning to stir Shinji rolled over and looked at his clock.

"It's 6:00 am. Why I am awake, school doesn't start till nine." Shinji groaned as he rolled out of bed onto his feet.

He made his way to the shower, stripped down and stepped under the water. Letting the steam rise and the heat wash over his face. His mind once again wandered back to the battle 5 days ago. He thought about just how close he was to dying... or was he?

After a nice long refreshing shower Shinji walked quietly down stairs, hoping not to wake Gendo up. His feet made little or no noise as he crossed the doorway to the kitchen, sneaking past the table he heard a cough.

"Ahem, I see you were up early too." Said the deep voice from behind Shinji.

Shinji spun around and look his father in the eye, only to see how much fun Gendo had frightening Shinji half to death.

"You did that on purpose!" Gasped Shinji as he tried to get his breath back.

"Oh cause I did. And I would also like to point out you scream is very womanly." Gendo smirked as he walked to the fridge and pulled out some milk.

"That's not funny father. What if I had a heart attack or something?" Shinji jeered

"Well then I would have been very curious how I could scare you to death and not the Angels. I think you are braver then you let on." Gendo sat down with a bowl of cereal. Beginning to spoon it into his mouth.

"Well... I... Fine." Shinji held up his hands in defeat and put some toast on for himself. "I wonder if that boy who hit me is going to be there." Shinji wondered.

"Well if he is. I have a feeling after his little experience five days ago, he may be a little more respectful." Gendo answered while not lifting his head up from his bowl.

"How did you know that was him?" Shinji asked.

"You are one of only two active Evangelion pilots, you think we would just leave to your own devices? We give you the privacy you need, but we need to make sure you are safe... I need to be sure." Gendo stated looking just over the top of his glasses, watching Shinji putting spread on his toast.

"I guess that's ok." Said Shinji.

"Regardless, it is necessary ." Gendo finished his bowl and put it in the sink. "We can wash up tonight, you need to get to school, and I have a meeting to attend." Gendo put his hand on Shinji's shoulder.

"Yes of cause, I'll get ready." Shinji darted out of the room and up the stairs to get his bag.

* * *

><p>The drive was uneventful. Gendo sat next to Shinji looking through some folders, every now and then he would raise his eyebrows. Shinji was looking out the window as the scenery flew fast. Reflections of trees, buildings and other cars darted across the window. Shinji looked over at his father, looking at the folders he was reading. Shinji could count four of them.<p>

"What are those?" Shinji asked, not expecting an answer.

"New pilots, still in training mostly... well aside from these two." Gendo said as he looked into a particularly thick set of folders.

"Who are they?" Shinji asked. A little excited.

"You will have to wait and see." Said Gendo as he snapped the folders shut. "Look here is your school."

The car ground to a halt out the front of the school gates. Beyond the gates revealed a small car park and a long path climbing a hill that eventually got to the school itself.

"Are you coming dad?" Shinji asked as he stepped out.

"I meant to, but today has become very busy. I will come and speak to your teacher on another day. And I would not want to get in the way of all your fans." Gendo said pointing at the mob of students that had appeared looking at Shinji.

"Uhhh." Shinji didn't know what to do.

"Just go and have a good day son, I am sure they don't want to hurt you." Gendo smiled as Shinji got out of the car. Gendo reached over, "I will see you tonight son." And he pulled the door closed. The car drove off down the road. Leaving Shinji staring at the mob.

"Is it true you saved Suzuhara and Kensuke from the monster? In a giant robot?" One of the girls blurted out. And the mob closed in around Shinji, asking questions, trying to give him pieces of paper with writing on them.

"OK OK! BACK UP PEOPLE!" Said a rather familiar voice. The crowed parted. Shinji looked over to see them standing there. Toji Suzuhara and Aida Kensuke.

"Shinji, I believe we have a score to settle." Said Toji, his gym tracksuit blowing a bit in the wind. The crowd parted further as he walked right up to Shinji and stared him in the face. Looking down on him.

"I thought you settled it when you hit me." Shinji blurted out, waiting for the impending punch to the face.

Toji leaned back a bit bringing one hand up. "Lay one on me, right here." Toji said, pointing to his cheek.

"Wait, what?" Shinji blurted out.

"I punched you, and I didn't even care to understand what you were going through, or what you were doing. And I won't believe we are on good terms until we are equal, now hit me." Toji once again pointed to his face.

"You better do it or he is going to piss us all off by bugging you over and over. He is pretty relentless." Said the Aida, fixing his glasses on his face.

Shinji looked at the two boys. Aida and his blondish curly hair was looking bemused and just watching. But the look on Toji's face was one of desperation and regret. Shinji knew both the boys were genuine.

"Ok, here hold my bag." Shinji handed his bag to one of the girls who went as red as a beetroot.

He looked Toji in the face. Toji nodded and closed his eyes. Shinji pulled his hand back and let loose.

* * *

><p>Gendo sat at a chair and desk in the middle of a dark room. His hands pent up in front of his face, and his fingers interlaced.<p>

"We are here for an update Ikari." Said a squeaky voice, male in origin. But the only indication it had a source was the obelisk that lit up to Gendo's left.

"Everything is going to plan, Unit 00 has been unfrozen, the repair of Unit 01 is..." Gendo was cut off.

"Unacceptable, the cost of the repair is in ordinance larger than last time." Said the same squeaky voice.

"But it will be offset due to Unit 00 no longer needing to stay frozen." Said a much deeper voice as a second monolith appeared, directly in front of Gendo. "We must not forget our primary objective."

There was silence in the room. "The Human Instrumentality Project, our pact with Lilith. To re-unite humanity with god, merging the two so that we may be equal to god." The silence was broken.

"All will follow SEELE's scenario." Said Gendo. Monoliths vanished and the room lit up. Gendo walked briskly out of the room, where he met Fuyutsuki.

They walked to the elevator. The doors closed and it began to rise.

"What did the old men want this time?" Kozo Fuyutsuki asked.

"They wanted to check up on the active units. And to make it clear their intentions are to push for Instrumentality. And they seem very serious about it. We must keep our actions discreet." Gendo said staring straight ahead at the lift doors.

They walked into his office where Misato and Dr. Akagi were waiting.

"You wanted to see us Commander?" Misato enquired.

"Yes please take a seat." Gendo indicated to the two chairs in front of his desk. He proceeded to walk behind the desk and sit down, Fuyutsuki standing behind him.

"What I am about to tell you is to stay between us, and only us. For now. I am telling you this early so that we may begin preparations." Gendo said.

"For what?" Ritsuko asked.

"I am sure both of you know about the committee, and SEELE." Gendo questioned.

"Yes". Both Misato and Dr. Akagi said in unison.

"Well, the committee has declared their open intention to initiate Instrumentality to try and re-unite with god. It is a fools plan but one that the most powerful men on earth have decided is a good idea. They will try everything to initiate 3rd Impact." Gendo said with a blank face.

The room fell silent. Ritsuko didn't seem surprised but Misato was horrified. "How could they want to do this?" She blurted out.

Fuyutsuki answered. "It is the ego of man to say what he desires. And assume it is what everyone else also wants."

"That would mean that at some point SEELE are going to try and get to Terminal Dogma, and get to… well you know. Her." Exclaimed Misato.

"Correct, that is something we cannot allow, Lilith's safety must be maintained at all time." Gendo answered.

Misato put her hands on her hips. "Then if I can make some security requests…" But she was cut off.

"We have to make these changes slowly. He have time, SEELE is still at the beginning of their scenario, but they will notice any large changes in funding requests." Stated Gendo, putting his arms down onto his seats armrests. Leaning to his right.

"There is also a second way they could initiate Third Impact." Said Doctor Akagi. "I am sure you are aware that all Evangelion are not just machines." The doctor continued.

"I guessed as much." Misato said, looking between Gendo and the doctor.

"They are in fact clones, clones of Adam." The Doctor braced for Misato's explosive response. But to her surprise, Misato just stood there, she indicated for the Doctor to continue.  
>"Well, a clone of Adam cannot trigger an impact, only the original can. However… Unit 01 is not a clone of Adam. It is a clone of Lilith."<p>

Misato frowned. Glaring between Gendo, Fuyutsuki and Doctor Akagi. "What were you thinking?" She said in a quiet seething rage.

"It was before we knew the consequences." Gendo answered.

"So we take Unit 01 out of active duty and freeze it." Misato said, almost demanded.

"We cannot, Unit 00 is not fully functional yet, and its pilot is not ready for combat. The case is, we need it. SEELE is years away from being able to exploit this. And the sudden change would spark suspicion."

"So what do we do?" Misato asked. Needing an answer.

"We draw up plans, start to take stock of what we have, time is on our side. Fuyutsuki and I have already started to take action in the most subtle ways." Gendo answered.

Fuyutsuki continued. "As of now, we only wanted to bring you up to speed. We will keep you in the loop. That is all."

Both the women nodded and walked out. The door closed behind them and Gendo sighed. Fuyutsuki looked out the window. Gazing across the inside of the geo-front.

"You do realise we will also need to destroy the dummy plug system. You will only have one of her." Fuyutsuki stated. Gendo didn't reply, he knew it had to be done. He just settled his face behind his interwoven fingers and dropped into deep thought.

* * *

><p>Shinji walked down the hallway to the A-2 class room. His two new friends tussled behind him, in a disagreement over if Toji could in fact lift or not. Shinji could only smile.<p>

All three walked into class and sat together up the back. Toji and Aida sat on both sides of Shinji. The class was all talk about the robot battle. People continuously shooting looks at Shinji.

"You are an Asshole Aida, you know I go to the gym. You are doing this on purpose and it's pissing me off!" Toji yelled out. Only to yelp a little as the class rep pinched his ear.

"Suzuhara, if I hear one more foul word from you today, you will be staying behind to clean up!" She shouted at him.

"Sorry sorry sorry… OW, hey don't twist!" He whimpered.

The class rep let go and went to her seat. She proceeded to watch the door, waiting for the teacher. The rest of the class were all talking loudly.

"I think she has a thing for you Toji." Aida teased.

"WHAT!" Toji yelled, making the class rep turn around and stare him into the ground. He decided to whisper. "No she doesn't. I mean she is cute and all, but she also scares the shit out of me."

Shinji chuckled and turned to Toji. "But maybe that's it, maybe she is mean to you because she likes you."

"Maybe she is one of those girls that goes 'oh yes, choke me, hit me, whip me." Toji smirked, still whispering.

"If only she heard that, we would be planning your funeral right now." Said Aida as he opened his laptop.

The usual rise, bow, sit regime played out as it does every day. The teacher droned on about impacts again. The class was quiet but bored. Even the class rep was dozing off. Shinji looked over to the windows to see crater his Unit 01 had left in the hills. His gaze slowly turned to the blue haired girl who was sitting next to the window.  
><em>She is very pretty <em>Shinji wondered to himself. His gaze was interrupted by the realisation she was now staring right back at him. Blushing furiously he opened his laptop and distracted himself.

"I saw that." Said Toji slyly.

"Saw what?" Shinji asked rhetorically hoping there would be no answer.

"Staring at Ayanami. She is a cutie eh… even if a bit weird." Toji stated. Looking serious.

Shinji saw he was not joking around this time. He decided to answer. "Yeah she is. I just don't get her. I have seen her at NERV. She never really talks, it's like she is just kinda… around. You know?"

Toji nodded lightly. Then proceeded to put his head on the desk and to the amusement of the back of the class, snore lightly. Shinji returned to his laptop, deep in thought.

* * *

><p>The bell rang at 3:30 as it always had and always will. Everyone filed out of their classrooms to their lockers. Retrieving there bags and depositing their books. The afternoon was brought on with a brilliant red sunset as the burning star began its decent over the horizon. Small wisps of cloud were turned beautiful yellow and purple as the sun descended. Shinji was standing outside the front of the school when his phone rang.<p>

"Hello Shinji. This is Makoto from NERV. I have been told to tell you to catch the train home because your father has some important business to attend to. He says be careful and he will be home around 9 o'clock." The voice on the phone informed him.

"Ok, thanks." Shinji saw his to friends walking toward him, both with huge grins on their faces. "Tell dad I will be home a bit later, but I will be home before he is."

"Ok Shinji, be well." The phone was hung up.

"Shin-dog!" Toji shouted.

"Please, no horrible nicknames yet." Shinji begged.

"Fine, fine. But one day you will just have to put up with it." Toji joked. Though Shinji was not too sure if he was serious or not.

"We are going to the arcade, wanna join us?" Toji asked.

"Sure I would love to To…. Toji why is class rep here?" Shinji looked behind Toji and saw the girl standing there. The same height as Shinji, she had dark Chocolate hair pulled back into two long pigtails. She had freckles and slightly tanned skin.

"Uh, I.. well…" Toji began. But thankfully Aida was there to finish his sentence.

"He swore again in the hallway, got clean-up duty. But got out of it by saying she could come along." Aida stated like he was narrating a documentary.

"Isn't it going to be a bit strange if three guys rock up to the arcade with a single girl in tow?" Aida asked turning to Toji.

"Well, I…" Toji had no answer, he was in fact a lot more illiterate than normal with the class rep around.

"Wait here." Shinji said, dropping his bag and running into the school.

"What the Fu… hell is he doing?" Toji exclaimed.

Shinji ran to the classroom and look inside. _Damn, not here!_ He walked quickly up the hall to where the girl's locker room was. He got a lot of 'Hello Ikari', and attempts to touch his hand as he walked through the girl's end of the locker room. It wasn't forbidden for boys to venture there, just most guys didn't have the guts or were afraid of being judged. Shinji walked toward the end of the hall, where is divided into s 'T' junction. Stopped it the 'T' and looked left and right. He saw what he was looking for at the end of the hallway. He strode up and tapped the girl on the shoulder.  
>The blue hair was a blur as Rei spun around, Shinji had given her a bit of a fright.<p>

"Hey Ayanami. Toji, Aida, Class rep and I are all going to the arcade. We thought it would be awkward for the class rep if she were the only girl. So I thought you should come along too." Shinji said. With a smile on his face.

Rei was silent. Staring into his eyes with her crimson orbs. Shinji sighed. She shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away. The girls in the hall were watching was he walked passed, still chatting away. Nothing seemed to be bothering them. He walked by down to the main gate. _Was I to forward? Was I rude?_ Thoughts fired through Shinji's skull when he walked out the front into the air. He looked up and sighed. Heading for his friends.

"Hey great Idea man, way to go!" Toji was yelling out to Shinji from the gate. Shinji now confused looked over his shoulder. Only to see Rei had been silently following him.

"Oh Ayanami, I didn't know you were there." Shinji blurted out.

"You asked me to go with you, so I am here." She responded in monotone. Shinji looked here up and down. _Wow, she really is cute_.

"Uh ok, it's just you didn't say… or do anything. I thought I did something wrong." Shinji was now facing her.

"No." Rei said simply. And walked past him toward the others. Shinji just stood and watched. Triggering her to turn to him. "Are you not coming also Ikari?"

Shinji smiled and ran to catch up with his friends.

* * *

><p>Misato was sitting at her desk. She looked at her clock. 7:30 PM. She knew it was going to be a very long night. She had been busy looking through NERV's current security funding, and what she could do with it without requesting more. She was about to get back into her work when the door opened.<p>

"A busy bee as usual." Said Doctor Akagi. As she walked in carrying two big mugs of coffee. Walking over and handing one to Misato and perking herself on the end of the desk.

"Like you can talk." Misato said after a gulp of wonderful hot coffee. "I have been looking over our security. I think there is some more I can squeeze out of our current budget."

"You need to slow down. The commander has said we have time. And the last thing we need is to burn out before we have actually been able to do anything." The Doctor pointed out.

Misato nodded. "I guess I am just a little shocked, and a little scared. Things are so much more serious than I thought. I mean I knew about Lilith in Terminal Dogma, and that the angels were trying to get to her. But SEELE too… mark my works Ritsuko. The fight will come here on both sides in the end."

"I am sure the commander knows this. You heard him. He already has started taking subtle action. And SEELE is still years away from being able to put any kind of plan in action." The Doctor sipped her coffee, shifting a slightly concerned look at Misato.

"I know… I do know… I just can't help but be concerned. This isn't just you, me or the commander at stake here. It's all of humanity. And I guess now I realise that to its fullest extent. And know the odds against us. The pressure is mounting." Misato put her coffee down, shifting through some files.

"Go home and get some sleep Misato, doctors' orders." Ritsuko said. Standing up. "Don't argue just go home and sleep."

Misato nodded, yawning. "It's still early, but as you said. We have time. Plus I need to feed Pen-Pen."

And without another word Misato nodded to the doctor and walked out. Her drive home was noisy, her car was still damaged and she really didn't want to spend the money on repairing it.  
>Upon arriving home she threw her bag onto her couch, pulled out a beer, fed Pen-Pen her pet hot spring penguin and hit the shower.<p>

She knew this was only going to get worse.

* * *

><p>"HA-HA, take that you spectacled douche! WOOO!" Toji shouted out.<p>

"Oh come on, you can't pick the cheapest character, then spam one ability and call me a douche." Aida protested. Look grumpily at Toji who was flexing his muscles. The two of them standing in front of an arcade Street Fighter stall.

"Class Rep, Ayanami, are you two going to play anything?" Shinji asked.

"I don't know about Rei, but I don't know how to, and please Shinji call me Hikari." The Chocolate haired girl said with a smile.

"What about that one?" Shinji said, pointing at a stall labelled 'Rise of the Dead – 18+'.

"Well aside it's no doubt gross and violent, we are not eighteen yet." Hikari stated in an almost authoritarian voice.

"Pffft, they never patrol that one. Come and try this racing one Class Rep." Toji said. Hikari shrugged and walked over to sit in front of one of the steering wheels.

"You wanna try that one Ayanami?" Shinji asked. Rei didn't say anything. Or even indicate a no or yes. She just walked over and picked up one of the guns. Shinji smiled and ran over.

* * *

><p>Misato was sitting on her couch, flipping through the channels when she came across a news segment about the battle almost five days ago. She stopped and sat forward. The news anchor was interviewing an older man about what he thought of the battle.<p>

"Sir, how would you describe NERV?" The anchor pushed the microphone under the man's nose.

"I would say they are more mad than good, just look at how much damage was done. I can't go and buy my mushrooms anymore because that damned robot crushed the store." The man grumbled.

"Would you call NERV… incompetent?" The anchor asked.

"Yes I would." The man responded looking directly into the camera.

An empty beer can hit the T.V screen. Misato looked at the image of the woman going to interview more people about NERV and the Evangelion. Always putting a negative spin on things. _People don't know anything about that we do. What we risk_. Misato knew she would end in a drunken rage and would eventually need a new T.V. So she shut the screen off and looked at her watch.

"8:30. I may as well try and get some sleep. What do you think Pen-Pen?" Misato looked down at the penguin sitting on the floor. It made a 'WARK' noise, got up and waddled into Misato's room. Misato got up and followed suit. Laying down on her bed. And turning the lights off.

* * *

><p>Zombies were coming from all angles, but the two Eva pilots were holding their own, sending bits of ex-human into the air with every shot. They were getting close to the high score and a small crowd had gathered. People were cheering and hooting at every zombie that got a little too close for comfort.<p>

"Come on you two, crack that high score!" Toji shouted.

"Yeah come on, only one thousand points to go!" Aida cheered.

Hikari was smiling and watching as Shinji and Rei had synced their shooting and re-loading times. Pulling off headshot after headshot after headshot.

"You know it's not really fair right?" Aida said to Toji, who looked a little confused. "Well both of them are Eva pilots, so they have to have small arms training."

Toji shrugged as both continued to cheer. As Aida regretted not having his video camera on him.

Finally the final Zombie fell with a grotesque squish as Shinji and Rei finished, setting a new high score. Shinji looked over at Rei, who he swore made a small smirk. But he couldn't really tell. And dismissed the thought as soon as it popped into his head.

"That was awesome guys. You nailed it." Toji slapped Shinji on the back. Shinji winced in pain a bit.

"Yeah thanks, guys. That was awesome. I had better head home. I'm nearby so I can walk. But its quarter to nine and my dad will be home soon. And I said I would be back before he was." Shinji said with a huge smile on his face.

"Sure thing. See you at school tomorrow Shinji. We better walk the Class Rep home, or we will never hear the end of it." Toji said, rolling his eyes. Hikari overheard and frowned a little.

"Ok, I'll walk Ayanami home then." Shinji said. Rei was staring at the back of head. Almost not blinking.

"Hehe, good luck player." Toji laughed, for a short time until Hikari punched him in the arm. "Ow, ok ok. See you tomorrow Shinji." Toji, Aida and Hikari turned and walked toward the train station.

"Uh… you do live around here right?" Shinji asked hopefully. Unfortunately Rei just shook her head. Shinji sighed. "Well I have to be home really soon, I can't really walk you home."

Rei turned around and started walking to the nearest bus stop. Only to be stopped as Shinji grabbed onto her arm.

"You know my dad's house has a spare room. You could just stay there. It would be safer and it's not as far." Shinji said with a smile. Rei tilted her head to the side and then began walking towards where the Ikari residence was located.

"How do you know where I live? Hey wait up!" Shinji broke into a jog to catch up. Where the two of them walked quietly back to Shinji's house.

* * *

><p>Shinji got the too the door and unlocked it. Rei took of her shoes and walked inside. Looking around at the size of the house. Shinji locked the door behind them and followed her in.<p>

"I'll show you your room." Shinji said, walking up the stairs. He pointed out his room, and that Rei's room was opposite to his. he said all the rooms had a bathroom, and his father slept up the end of the hall. Pointing at the door.

Rei looked at Shinji, then Shinji's door, then her door. "Ikari, do you find me sexually attractive?" Rei said in a monotone voice.

Shinji went multiple shades of scarlet. "N-n-n-n-n… No, I mean, no, but you, no." Shinji stuttered. Much to Rei's bemusement. "Why do you ask?" Shinji questioned scratching the back of his head.

"Is this not a situation that a male would want to happen? He invites a female over to engage in sexual intercourse." Rei said without blinking.

Shinji was now redder than ever. "No, I just… was trying to be polite, and I didn't want you to walk hope in the dark alone." Shinji relaxed a bit. "We are co-pilots after all."

Rei nodded. "Ok, goodnight Ikari." She turned and walked into her room. Closing the door.

Shinji let out a sigh and turned to walk into his room. _Jeez, she is so forward. Those intentions had not even crossed my mind._ His thoughts were interrupted by the door closing downstairs. Shinji walked downstairs to great his father, who looked a little flustered.

"Dad, me and some friends went to the arcade today. It was late when we left. So I told Ayanami she could stay here for the night." Shinji told his father.

Gendo turned around to face his son. "Ayanami… sit down Shinji." They both sat at the table in the kitchen.

"Shinji, before you protest about what your intent with Ayanami is or not. I need to tell you some things about her." Gendo had a serious look on his face. Shinji just sat in silence.

"Shinji Ayanami isn't human. She is, in fact a clone." Gendo paused. Shinji's eye's opened wide, but he remained relatively calm.

"She is however, as of tomorrow, an individual." Gendo added

"Who is she a clone of?" Shinji asked, without moving.

"An angel." Gendo stated in a matter of fact way. He looked up at his son. His eyes narrowed as he watch is son's lack of reaction.

He decided to continue. "As of tomorrow, the facility that cloned her is getting shutdown. She will be an individual." Gendo was starting to get a little concerned about his son's stony faced reaction. "Shinji." Shinji looked up at his father. "She is still a young woman, just like the rest of them, she is no different to a test tube child. She may have been cloned from the DNA of an angel, but that is all. Aside from that she is an ordinary girl, she can feel angry, sad or happy. Anything."

Shinji smiled a little. "It's ok. She is now who she is now right? Though I don't think she really feels anything."

"Heh, well she didn't get much human contact up until she went to school. She is getting a lot better. Out of curiosity. Why is she really here?" Gendo pushed the question on Shinji.

"I told you the truth before." Shinji said abruptly.

"I see." Gendo smiled a little. "It's good to see that even my failings as a father haven't stopped you growing up well."

Shinji smiled. "Thanks dad. I'll go to sleep now. I assume we will have to take Ayanami back to where she is living to get her some clean clothes. So we will have to get up early"

"We?" Gendo raised an eyebrow.

"Fine… I will have to get up early. Just… Goodnight dad." Shinji said in surrender.

"Goodnight son."

_A/n: Well after a long time of nothing, I have decided to crunch in and finish my story. It has a hell of a long way to go. And I now have more time on my hands._

_Cheers-_


	5. Chapter 4: With a Red Ribbon

Disclaimer: If I owned Evangelion I'm sure there would be a lot of upset people.

Chapter 4: With a Red Ribbon

The next morning Shinji's alarm went off an hour earlier than usual. The sun was yet to peak over the horizon and the stars were still in full bloom.

Shinji rolled out of his bed and got himself dressed. He was in the middle of buttoning his shirt when there was a knock at his door. He walked over and opened it slowly, peaking at what was awake even earlier than he was.

"The trains are down until 6:30, so I will have someone deliver fresh clothes for Rei." Gendo was standing outside Shinji's door in a dressing gown and fluffy slippers.

"They can just go into her house and take them?" Shinji exclaimed.

"Well she lives in a NERV apartment block, so, yeah." Gendo responded, looking like he had been awake all night.

"Ok well I guess I can go back to sleep then. I can get another hour in." Shinji yawned a little. Stretching his shoulders and arms.

"Well, no. Rei is already awake and expecting breakfast I suspect." Gendo said with a little sly grin on his face. "She is downstairs waiting for you."

Shinji sighed walked out of his room and down the hall. Buttoning his shirt on his way down the stairs.

His socks making rustling the carpet as he walked. Making his way to the kitchen.

"Good morning Ayanami, did you sleep well?" Shinji asked, when he saw her sitting at the table in a night gown.

"I did." She responded in a monotone voice. Staring down the table.

Shinji got to work on breakfast. With the extra time that he had, he went to crafting a large breakfast fit for a king. Gendo walked down stairs and saw the huge meal Shinji had been working on. He smiled and then walked up to the piles of food.

"Is there enough for me? Or are you really going to eat all that?" Gendo inquired while keeping his eye's on the food.

"There is enough dad. Get yourself a plate." Shinji responded as he put the last spoon of rice porridge into a bowl. Gendo grabbed a plate for himself out of the cupboard and began lining his plate with an assortment of food. Ayanami took a surprisingly large portion and began to eat in silence. Shinji was looking down at his food. Gendo was watching Rei shoot the occasional look at his son and smiling gently.

"Father…" Shinji said, making Gendo direct his full attention at his son. "Why did you make EVA?"

Gendo furrowed his brown. Obviously thinking hard of a way to answer his son so that he would understand. Putting his chopsticks down he looked up at his son. Brought his arms to the table, resting his elbows on the surface of the table and interlocking his fingers.

"Desperation, and ignorance." He answered. "We created the EVA because we were desperate to defend ourselves, and our ignorance of the science we were playing with. In 1993 we discovered an ancient being frozen in the South Pole. This entity was dubbed 'Adam'."

"I thought they were Angels, not entities or whatever." Shinji interrupted.

"God, Angels. They are just terms we use. God is a metaphor for the universe, a form of consciousness some people would like to achieve. And Angels are simply a higher form of life. Something that has transgressed what you would perceive as… being." Gendo answered, before continuing with his story.

"After a few years of study we found a second being in the North Icecap. We dubbed this being, 'Lilith'. We managed to dig up and move Lilith to NERV Tokyo. We assumed we could do the same to Adam. We were wrong. In 1999 we attempted to move Adam. And he awoke." Gendo looked at a fascinated Shinji and Rei, who were both listening intently.

"Half of humanity vanished in that moment. We called it, Second impact." Gendo took a bite out of a slice of toast.

"What was first impact?" Shinji asked.

"We use the term 'Impact' as a way of indicating to an extinction level event. We use the event that ended the age of the dinosaurs as first impact." Gendo responded. Then Continued.

"We tested samples of Lilith and what remained of Adam, we concluded that there was more like them. We found evidence that Adam had used its form to create more Angels. Using what we found on Lilith we even calculated how many. Seventeen to be exact. We assume that these angels were planted billions of years ago, and with second impact have now begun to wake. We found that due to the A.T. field that they possess, we could only combat them on the same level they combat us. So we began to build the EVA. Cloning what we could of Adam, as he seemed to be the most powerful." Gendo then looked at Shinji. "And one clone of Lilith."

"So you were desperate to fight an enemy you didn't understand?" Shinji asked.

"Yes, and in our ignorance we created EVA." Gendo said. Pushing his now clean plate away from himself.

"So, you are saying that making EVA was a mistake?" Shinji looked at his father a little more perplexed than before.

"No." Gendo responded. "But when you play with fire, you get burned. And we were dancing in flames." Gendo said, sitting back and crossing his arms.

"Then why did you need me?" Rei asked quietly. Shinji looked at her and then at his father. Shocked.

"Again, ignorance." Gendo responded.

"Father!" Shinji shouted. "How could you say that?"

"I didn't say she was a mistake. Look, we created Rei because we needed a pilot, someone who had a link to the EVA." Gendo responded. Shinji looked disgusted. He stood up, and began to clean the kitchen after breakfast.

"Please understand Shinji, it was a long time ago, and we did not consider the consequences. That is our ignorance and our failing." Gendo look pleadingly at Shinji.

Shinji stopped what he was doing, put his hands on the edge of the sink and bowed his head.

"I am not angry with you father, I am just sickened by the whole thing." Shinji then continued to clean up.

A little relived Gendo stood. He placed a few plates in the sink under Shinji and put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"While I do regret the lengths we went to, I do not regret some of the results." He smiled at Shinji, who returned the smile. And then indicated to Rei. "Sometimes our biggest mistakes turn into our greatest triumphs." He then walked to the doorway to the kitchen.

"Oh, and before I go. You two will be picked up from school early today. Doctor Akagi needs to do a test on your current sync ratio with EVA." Gendo then nodded to Shinji and Rei. Then left.

Shinji finished cleaning up. Not long after Gendo had left the doorbell rang. Where a NERV employee dropped off clothes for Rei. After she had changed the two promptly left the house, and headed for the train station.

* * *

><p>"This is completely unacceptable, I cannot believe they would even think of doing this again." Misato grumbled to herself as she stood in the ascending elevator. The floor numbers ticked by as he looked into the manila folder she was holding. The lift ground to a halt and the doors slid open.<p>

"Good morning Colonel." Doctor Akagi said as he stepped into the lift.

"You can't possibly do with this?!" Misato opened the folder and turned it around.

"Now that Unit 00 is unfrozen we need to make sure it works. And the pilot for the unit is Ayanami Rei." The doctor stated matter-of-factly.

Misato snapped the folder shut, tucking it under her arm and lent on the side of the lift. The doctor pushed for level LE-2 and sipped her coffee.

"You lot do remember what happened last time right?" Misato asked while looking directly ahead.

"Of cause we do. And we believe we know what caused the issue, as well as a way to shut the test down straight away should it all go wrong." The doctor retorted.

Misato continued to stare straight ahead. _I really hope you do know. Otherwise we could all end up paying for it._

* * *

><p>"I know dammit, but the stupid thing is written for people who are clearly a hell of a lot smarter than I am." Toji said. Resting his elbows on his desk and putting his head in his hands. "There is no way I am ready for this test."<p>

"Stop being such a cry baby and just start from the top. Do the equation on the top of the line first, then the one under the line, THEN you use the results to work out the final answer." Kensuke stated like he was taking to a toddler.

"Oh sure, mock the moron." Toji said quietly to the desk.

Shinji was looking at his work realizing he to, was royally screwed for the test. He wasn't struggling with the same thing Toji was. But the next page of study made the one Toji was having difficulty with look like a walk in the park.

_Holy shit, I must have missed something. Because I never EVER remembering having done this in class._ Shinji was in the verge of the panic stage when a hand arrived on his shoulder. He turned around to see Rei looking down at his work.

"Do them backwards." She said, then went and sat in her seat near the window.

Shinji was perplexed but then looked at the equation. _Ahhh I see, the answer is provided and I just need to break it up._ Relief hit him like a tidal wave.

"Thank you Ayanami." He turned around and said. Rei continued to stare out the window. But Shinji just turned back around and got stuck into his work.

The morning was uneventful. The day was hot and there was very little shade. When the bell rang for lunch, students were huddled in the small islands of shade. Like survivors on a life raft.

"Yooooo, Shin-dawg." Toji said over announcing the 'dog' part. "Rumor has it you and Ayanami get to leave early cause you gotta go and do cool shit with those giant robots. Man you gotta get me a job there so I can get out of school early." Shinji looked up at him raising an eyebrow. "You make a valid point. After last time, I think school will do just fine." They all had a chuckle.

"What's it like being in one of those things?" Kensuke asked in excitement. Shinji just frowned a little and looked across at him.

"You think it's just fun and games. It's not. It's both the most terrifying and most painful experience I have ever had." Shinji responded in a soft tone.

"Yeah I heard the nerve feedback on the hits you take, hurt like a bitch." Kensuke said.

"Yeah, it does. But at the same time, you feel so powerful, looking down on entire cities. Trees are like blades of grass at your feet." Shinji smiled a little. Looking up at Toji, who was standing pressed against a tree to keep in the shade.

"Aida just wants to pilot one, so so bad." Toji said mockingly.

"Oh come on, like you wouldn't." Kensuke retorted argumentatively. "Do you know why they picked you?" Kensuke asked re-directing his attention to Shinji.

"Something to do with a connection to the units. Apparently only we can pilot them, and we cannot pilot each other's." Shinji answered.

"Damn." Kensuke said looking down at his camera.

* * *

><p>The double door to Gendo's office slid open and Fuyutsuki walked in at a brisk pace, a look of worry on his face. He strode towards Gendo's desk with a folder in his hands. Gendo turned around to see who was in such a rush to see him.<p>

"Ikari, they are going ahead with it!" Fuyutsuki stated a little out of breath.

Gendo grew a sudden and dark look as he snatched up the folder Kozo Fuyutsuki had just placed on his desk. He opened it up, and spread the A4 pages over his desk. Standing, pushing his seat back and looking over the pages.

"Ikari, if they start now, they can refine the production process and begin mass production. In a year they could have one or two. In two years maybe ten. But in three or even four years, they could have hundreds." Kozo said pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead with.

"Contact our mole, tell him to get as much information on the process as possible. Tell him it's time to bring the leverage home." Gendo ordered, never once looking up from the papers on his desk.

Fuyutsuki bowed, placed his handkerchief in his pocket spun around and walked out. Gendo continued to pour over the pages. The light coming through his large ceiling to floor, wall to wall window behind him cast long and foreboding shadows over the office floor.

* * *

><p>As the sun began to indicate the transfer from morning to midday, both Shinji and Rei's phones buzzed to indicate it was time for them to be picked up. They both stood up in the class and packed their bags. They walked to the door, turned around and bowed to the teacher, then left.<p>

The car ride was quiet, the agent in the front had no intention of talking, and it was clear that either did Rei. Shinji just placed his headphones in and watched the scenery fly past to the tune of Mozart's seasons. Wondering to himself what the test was going to entail.

The car pulled into the NERV access tunnel and parked on one of many cargo lifts down to the Geofront. Shinji was finished with Mozart and was now onto Gustav Holst's Jupiter as the lift descended into the Geofront, coming to a halt at a large platform where the agent indicated Shinji and Rei to get out.

"Hey Shinji, how's life with your dad?" A rather happy doctor Akagi asked.

"It's good. He really needs to learn to cook though. I have to do it all the time." Shinji replied with a smile.

"You know he tried once. It was called the neutron bomb." Ritsuko Akagi chuckled to herself. "And how are you Rei?"

"Fine." Rei replied trying to copy Shinji's smile, be it, badly.

The two were escorted to the standby room where Misato was waiting. It was a large room that was designed to have people almost living out of it. There was a big table with multiple chairs, a couch, a television, a stereo and even two bunk beds.

"Hey Shinji, Rei." Misato said looking up from her magazine she was reading. Whilst sitting on a chair next to the large wooden table.

"Hello Misato. Do you know what we will be doing in these tests?" Shinji asked.

"Test, there is only one. And you will be sitting in the units, trying to concentrate on being the unit. We will then be measuring your sync ratios and start gathering data on pilots in the units." Misato said. "You two will need to will need to get changed first though. You will get permanent plug suits today."

"What?" Shinji looked at Misato with confusion in his eyes.

"You will see, just remember, you cannot have anything on underneath them, and when they are on, the button on your wrist will cause them to close up and tighten. Ok? Good now go get changed." Misato said, indicating to the change room.

Shinji and Rei walked in. What Shinji saw almost made his heart come out of his mouth. There was only one change room, and it was the whole room.

"Ayanami, do you want to get changed first or… Ga…" Shinji choked. Rei had simply walked over to her plug suit hanging on the wall and started undressing. "A little warning please!" Shinji shouted, turning bright red and spinning around.

_I'll just go get my suit and wait till she is done_ he though. Walking to his plug suit, back to Rei. He pulled it off its hanger only to reveal a mirror behind it. Shinji could see Rei, facing away from him. Naked from head to toe. Turning so red he could have passed out of the colour spectrum he could not help but observe in the mirror. He noted how Rei was actually extremely well proportioned, she was lean but it was not due to malnourishment. She was a lean girl. His eyes were consistently drawn to her beautifully shaped backside. She pulled her plug suit under her feet and began to step into it. Bending forward in the process. Shinji could feel his heart pounding at what he could see. But as quick as a flash she pulled the leggings up to her waist. Then slipped her arms into the sleeves and wrapped the torso part of the suit over her chest and back, hitting the button on her wrist the suit suddenly tightened to her figure.

"A-a-a-are you done yet Ayanami?" Shinji asked, when suddenly he froze. He could feel her warm breath on his neck. She had wandered over to him when he wasn't paying attention.

"Do you require help?" She asked without as much as a facial expression.

"N-n-n-o, I mean I would… no thanks. I can do it. Just need some privacy." He said squeezing his eyes shut.

Without a word Rei left the room. Shinji could only imagine just what she was thinking. Shinji undressed and slipped into his plug suit. Pressing the wrist button he thought to himself. _I can't believe that just happened. How is she so bold? Perhaps she just doesn't care._

Shinji put his clothes in a locker and walked out after Rei.

* * *

><p>"Is he asleep? HEY SHINJI YOU IDIOT! WAKE UP!" Misato yelled into a microphone on a stand attached to the computer displays.<p>

Shinji woke up suddenly and looked into the camera. Misato was watching him on a screen.

"Sorry, it's just so boring in here." He said dazed.

Misato just rolled her eyes and turned around. Walking over the workstation that Ritsuko Akagi was working on.

"How are they?" Misato inquired in a professional tone.

"Very good actually. He is up 3.2% and that sets him on 64.3%." The doctor indicated to the graph on her screen. "Considering the last data we got of him was when he fought that angel. And he wasn't even in a plug suit at the time. I think this is very good. But the plug suit may have made that gain. It's too early to know."

"And how about Rei?" Misato asked looking at the other graph.

"Well as we expected everything went smoothly. Given her circumstance she has a higher sync then Shinji does. It seem to have remained stable at 72.9%." The doctor replied. Touching the screen with her finger and tracing the line for Rei's sync ratio.

"Good. And I think I owe you an apology." Misato perched on the end of the desk.

"You do?" The doctor looked up at Misato questioningly.

"I do, I should not have been angry with you earlier. You were just doing your job, and you guys do seem to know what you are doing." Misato said sheepishly.

"Seem?" The doctor raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah well, I have a hard time trusting the science types after second impact." Misato looked down at the floor.

"I understand." The doctor said looking back to her screens.

* * *

><p>Days tuned into weeks. The sync tests were done on every Tuesday afternoon. Shinji and Rei were getting into a habit of just packing up and leaving at around 2:00pm every Tuesday afternoon. The tests were showing a gradual increase in Shinji's sync and a consistent state for Rei's.<p>

"Today is a record 39 Celsius, with an 80% humidity level, make sure to put on sunscreen and stay in the shade, it is hot hot hot."

Shinji was slumped on the couch in his father's house, watching the T.V. It was Sunday, so school was out and it was burning hot outside. He was so glad that this place had an air conditioner.

Shinji was about to go and have a cold shower when his phone rang.

"Make sure you are dressed and ready to go in five minutes." Said Misato on the phone. Immediately after the message the phone hung up.

_What the hell was that about? _Shinji was quizzical.

Suddenly a cold rush consumed his body as he heard them. The Sirens outside in the city were sounding. Shinji threw his shoes on and ran outside to the curb of the road. He could see the buildings starting to retract into the Geofront. Viewing them from a hillside a few Kilometers out of the city.

A car came to a screaming halt in front of him. The back door opened and Shinji looked in. He saw a NERV agent driving and another in the back.

"Get in Mr. Ikari" The man in the back ordered.

Shinji took a deep breath in and out, then got into the car and shut the door.

* * *

><p>"How did it get so close!?" Misato shouted as she stormed into the bridge at NERV headquarters.<p>

"We don't know, we got condition blue when it was only about fifty kilometers out of Tokyo-3." Said Maya at her bridge station. Quickly fixing her short jaw length hair.

Misato turned around to see Gendo and Fuyutsuki taking their places in the command chairs.

"Orders sir?" Misato asked Gendo.

"Prep Unit 01 for launch. Get Shinji into it as soon as he gets here. Prep a long-range Anti-material cannon for Unit 01 to use." Gendo ordered. As soon as his words were finished the bridge sprang into action. People were barking orders across the floor, moving between stations and putting headsets on. In the middle, the phone rang in front of Misato on the desk next to Maya Ibuki.

"Colonel, Shinji has arrived." She turned and said to Misato.

"Get him ready and into Unit 01. What is the status on Rei?" Misato inquired strongly and she watched the massive screen in front of her.

"She is still en-route. ETA ten minutes." Maya reported back.

Misato was staring at the screen intently.

* * *

><p>Shinji marched into the standby room, and into the change room. He put his plug suit on and hit his wrist button with a clenched fist. For the first time, he was angry. He knew what was stake and he knew one thing was sure. He was going to kill that Angel, even if it meant his own death.<p>

He marched out flanked by doctor Akagi and some armed guards. Shinji felt important, and powerful. He walked to the elevator and rode it down to the EVA cages. He stepped out and without hesitation walked briskly to his insertion pod.

"Now Shinji, whatever you do. Remember, the best generals, the greatest warriors and smartest politicians all had full respect for their enemy. Cause if you don't it will destroy you." The doctor said to Shinji sounding genuinely concerned.

Shinji nodded, briefly looked at his feet, then jumped into the hatch in his in insertion pod. The pod was lifted into the air by crane and moved to the back of EVA unit 01. The giant purple behemoth standing motionless, ready to receive its pilot.

* * *

><p>"Shinji is in the unit. His Sync ration is 71.9%, 72%, 72.1% and holding." Maya yelled over her shoulder at Misato.<p>

"Move the unit to its launch pad. And make ready for launch." Misato ordered. Causing the control room to burst into even more action.

"Status on Target." Misato demanded.

"Target is six kilometers away from being directly above us. Beginning to slow down." Say Aoba, the man sitting on the workstation directly right of Maya.

Misato walked over to Maya, and pressed the intercom button on the desk. "Shinji, are you ready?"

"Yes." Came the reply.

"Good luck Shinji, we are all counting on you." Misato said, and released the button.

"Evangelion, LAUNCH!"

* * *

><p>Shinji rocketed skyward, he was ready. He knew what he had to do. He knew he had to target the red core on the angel. He knew he had to do it at all costs.<p>

Evangelion Unit 01 was greeted by the blazing hot sun. He squinted before pressing some buttons on the right control stick, polarizing the view screen.

What he saw was what looked like two glass pyramids glued base to base, hovering over the city. It was about 500 meters on all its edges. As the clamps detached and his unit took its own weight he saw the center of the angel open up and begin to glow.

The angel charged its core, and fired a powerful particle beam at Unit 01. Shinji rolled forward and the beam flew over his head. He saw the rifle delivery unit pop up about 200 meters from him. He took a deep breath and ran for it.

The angel was peppering the area around him with particle blasts, disintegrating entire buildings with each shot. Shinji ran past the rifle housing, grabbing it and continuing to run. He was firing at the angel as he sprinted between builds. Avoiding the shots the angel was firing, causing smoke and fire to erupt around his unit.

He came to a grinding halt, tearing up road and footpath, crushing cars and buses as he forced Unit 01 to stop. He spun to bring the rifle into its target, when he realized the error of stopping. The angel let loose a barrage of shots that caused the ground around Unit 01 to explode into smoke and debris, showering it all around Shinji. As he looked through the smoke he saw another glow coming from the angel, the shot hit Unit 01 square in the chest. Shinji tried to focus on his A.T. field but the angel was using a consistent beam, and drilling it into Unit 01.

Shinji let out a scream, it was too much, the pain was stopping him from concentrating on his A.T. field, and it began to give. Now burning into the chest of Unit 01. Shinji could only hope that the Unit didn't give way. He could feel the beam in his chest, like a red hot sword being slowly pushed into his heart, inch by inch.

"Blow the bolts in sections 26-F through 26-J" Misato yelled.

The ground beneath the unit fell into the Geofront. The Evangelion fell with them, smoke and debris coming from the chest of the unit as it fell.

"Status of pilot!" Gendo yelled standing up and leaning over his desk.

"Unconscious but alive." Replied a relived Maya.

"Send a recovery team, get Unit 01 into its cage for repair." Misato ordered.

The angel continued to move until it was directly about the Geofront. It halted and began to morph what appeared to be a drill out of the bottom point. It then began to drill into the ground. Twisting and contorting the road and concrete it was drilling into.

* * *

><p>Shinji opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling of the Geofront's internal hospital. He tried to sit up but felt a crushing pain in his chest. <em>I failed<em> he thought. Then lay back onto his pillow and put his hands over his face.

"I failed." He murmured.

"How are you going to win if you think like that?"

Shinji looked over to his bedside and saw his father sitting there.

"Glad you're okay son." He said in a relived voice.

"What happened?" Shinji asked.

Misato walked in and almost ran to Shinji's bedside.

"Oh thank you god you're okay." She said. "The angel has moved over NERV HQ and is now attempting to drill into the base. But we have a plan, you will get a second shot at the bastard." Misato smiled.

Shinji put his hand over his heart, to find it covered in bandages. He then looked Misato in the eye.

"I can't do it alone." He mumbled in a defeated voice.

"You won't be…" Misato began but was interrupted.

"I will help you Ikari." Rei spoke as she stepped out from behind Misato.

"I would like that." Shinji smiled at Rei, then look at Misato. "I will kill that angel."

* * *

><p>"This is so ludicrous is may just work." Ritsuko Akagi exclaimed as she looked over the plans Misato had put together.<p>

Just at that moment Misato and Gendo entered the room, it was small, filled with data screens and a table, around the table were all of NERV's heads of departments.

"Ok let's get the business, report." Gendo demanded.

"At approximately 4pm today an angel attacked Tokyo-3, after a battle with Unit 01, it is now proceeding to drill into the ground in an attempt to access the Geofront. At its current speed it will breach the Geofront at approximately midnight tonight." The NERV employee finished reading his report and placed it down in front of Misato. Who then stood up.

"The current plan is to use the power from across japan to power a high velocity particle accelerator that is being developed by the JSDF. We are going to need super conducting heavy duty cables from the fusion power plants in Osaka, Fukashima and Yokohama. These will be connected to the Geofront in Tokyo-3. We will then use superconducting cables to transfer the power to a distribution system that can be rigged into the particle accelerator." Misato stated.

"How are we going to fire it?" Maya asked.

"We won't, Shinji will. With Unit 01." Misato said factually.

* * *

><p>The city was ablaze with activity as searchlight light up the angel as the sun went down. The parts for the particle accelerator were air lifted to a location in shadow of a large hill.<p>

Thousands of people across Japan, trucks, cranes and helicopters were lifting and placing massive cables between substations. The power was being re-directed from all over Japan to this one weapon in Tokyo-3.

Misato stood at the location as the weapon was being put together.

"I don't know how you do it. But you are damn good at your job." Ritsuko said to Misato.

"I had a few favors to pull with the JSDF command. They practically threw the particle cannon at me." Misato said with a smirk.

Both Misato and Ritsuko looked down the hill and across the lake at the angel, hovering and slowly spinning. At that moment they heard a loud screeching noise. Behind them, around two hundred meters away was a huge set of rail tracks. And on them Unit 01 and Unit 00 had just arrived. Being held in large braces.

"This had better work." Misato said to herself. Shooting one last look back at the angel.

* * *

><p>Shinji and Rei arrived by armored car, the sun was well and truly down now. The stars were out, if somewhat blocked out by the city lights.<p>

Shinji and Rei walked over to Misato and doctor Akagi.

"There is nothing I can say to you two. More than, thank you. This is a burden that no one, let alone a child should have." Misato said and bowed a little. "It's time."

Shinji and Rei walked over to some tents that had been set up as change rooms, they were pitched right next to each other. Shinji was directed to one, and Rei to the other. Once inside he set about getting changed into his plug suit. He had it on, he was about to press the button on his wrist when he paused.

"Do you ever feel afraid?" Shinji asked Rei through the tent.

"No." She responded.

"How do not be scared. Father told me that fear was a weapon, if you could control yours. You could do anything, conquer anything." Shinji rambled, looking at the tent entrance.

"Perhaps I should learn to be afraid." The response came. Shinji look at the tent wall towards Rei in surprise. She finished getting changed, pressed her wrist button. Shinji heard the suit compress. He pressed his and walked out of the tent and towards Unit 01.

* * *

><p>It was 11:00pm and the operation was just about ready to go. People were getting into positions to begin the power transfer.<p>

Misato stood at the entrance to the command bunker and looked at the city. All the lights aside from the spot lights went out. She looked up at the stars, noting how beautiful they were.

"Are we ready?" She said.

"We are." Said Maya, standing behind Misato. "Is Shinji?"

"I have a feeling, he is more than ready." Misato pivoted on her heel, and walked into the bunker. Followed by Maya. She stopped in the middle, look around herself. She sighed and took a deep breath.

"Initiate, power transfer!" She barked.

Screens all over the bunker sprang into action. Data feeds from all over were coming in.

"Osaka Station reports 35% charge."

"Fukashima reports 40%"

"Yokohama reports 37%"

Reports were flying at Misato hard and fast. She was quietly listening to all the banter while she was waiting for that golden number.

* * *

><p>Unit 01 was laying prone behind the massive Particle Accelerator. Shinji was leaning back in his seat waiting for data input. He had his intercom open, and could hear all the yelling and reporting going on at the bunker.<p>

_I can't believe the weight of the world is on my shoulders. I never imagined myself having to save the world. Or fight a war. I'm not sure if I will live or die. _Shinji lent forward. He gripped the controls in his hands and waited.

"All report 75%"

It was almost time, Shinji noticed data started to feed into his targeting systems. He heard the intercom blare that stage one was go.

Shinji watched as artillery, missiles and aircraft opened fire on the angel. Hundreds of thousands of shots slamming into the angel's A.T. field. The angel revealed its core and started firing energy blasts into the hillsides. Huge explosions could be seen going off. Bits of debris was being hurled into the atmosphere.

Shinji watched, his face flashing with light as the angel returned fire on its aggressors. Shinji could hear over the comm about entire units being destroyed.

"Shinji, when the data is compiled, the target ridicule will indicate that you are ready to fire." Misato said into the intercom.

"All power stations report 100%, we lost a few substations but it made no real difference. We are ready." Came Maya's voice.

Shinji watched the data feeding in on his screen, he saw the cross hairs getting closer together. He was sweating and gritting his teeth. Barley blinking concentrating on his target. The more data that fed in the closer it got. There was a beep, the target was locked in.

"FIRE!" Misato yelled through the comm.

Shinji pulled the trigger, a huge white glowing blast fired from the front of the rifle. It moved at incredible speed towards the angel. The beam cut clean through the glassy like hide of the angel. Red blood showered in gallons out of the holes. An ear shattering high pitched scream emanated from the creature as it tilted slightly to the side.

"We got it." Misato cheered.

"Wait… Look!" Maya yelled. Everyone returned to their screens.

The angel leveled itself out and let out a howl of rage, before revealing its core. It proceeded to repair itself, then charge.

"Oh shit, BRACE!" Misato yelled.

The fury of the angel was unleashed in a bolt aimed at the mountain, clearly not knowing exactly where the shot came from, the angel's blast hit the hillside next to Shinji. The shot punched a hole in the front of the hill, and blew the entire back half of it away. A massive explosion pushed Unit 01 off its sniping point and blew half the info structure behind it into ash. As the dust began to settle, Shinji tried to get the Unit to its feet.

"Shinji, are you okay?" Said Misato's voice.

"Y-yes." Shinji replied, a little winded.

"Shinji, our systems are damaged, but the power grid is intact and still charged, the rifle is also undamaged." Misato groaned. She was obviously injured.

Shinji began to crawl his unit back to the rifle, the artillery opened up on the angel again. But this time it ignored them. It was focused on Unit 01 and Shinji.

Unit 01 got to the rifle, and picked it up.

"High energy charge coming from the angel." Maya yelled over the comm.

Shinji didn't have the rifle up, he saw the beam heading straight for him. He closed his eyes, expecting death.

In the blink of an eye he heard the blast but felt nothing, he opened his eyes and saw Unit 00 standing in front of him holding a massive shield. The angels beam was spread like a water on rock. Showering the hills in light.

"Ayanami!" Shinji Yelled.

"Target in ten seconds!" Maya yelled over the comm

The shield began to buckle and dissolve. But Rei held her place.

"Five seconds!"

The shields fragmented and beam hit Unit 00 on the hands. But still it held its place. The plating on Unit 00 was starting the break off. Shinji could see fragments of it flying past him.

"Target locked, power to rifle in 5 seconds!"

Shinji saw the plating on Unit 00 melting and breaking away in larger chunks. He held the rifle up and took aim at the angel.

"Ready to fire!"

Shinji pulled the trigger, the shot fired under the arms of Unit 00 and flew of a straight path to the angel. The shot collided sending glass like shower of shards into the air. Followed by a fountain of blood. The angel let out a howl of pain, then slowly dissolved into blood before exploding in a tower of light.

Unit 00 crumbled onto the ground, Shinji rushed over to it. Using his Units Progo-Knife, he cut the cover to the pod off the back of Unit 00. He pulled the pod out and set it onto the ground. Shinji then made his Unit sit down, and ejected his own pod. Using the ladder it deployed, he climbed down and ran over to Rei's pod.

When he got there he tried to open the hatch. He recoiled as the handles were burning hot. He gritted his teeth, and grabbed the handles, he turned them until the pod opened. Inside Rei was sitting in her seat, cradling her hands.

"I was scared." She said.

Shinji just smiled and held out his hand. Rei reached out and took it.

"Being scared, doesn't mean you can't smile now." He said.

Rei smiled.

_-Biggest chapter yet. Next one is almost finished too. So it should be up in the next few days._

_Again hope you enjoy and feel free to message me feedback and leave a comment I know it's got alot of scene devides. I saw it as needed to show the scale of things going on._

_-Regards._


End file.
